#this dude needed to be off of the bench anyhow

[beardedmrbean]

OnlyFans creator and former New York City traffic court judge Gregory Locke took to social media over the weekend to comment publicly for the first time on his removal from the bench.

Locke was fired from his job as an administrative court judge following a complaint from city council member Vickie Paladino. He'd been in the position since April 2022.

Palindino’s complaint took issue with a tweet of Locke’s that told her to “choke on a dick.” The post was in response to Paladino’s own tweet calling Drag Queen Story Hour “an absolutely shameful display.”

Locke had previously tweeted his dissent to other politicians about a myriad of issues.

The complaint led to Locke being fired for “unprofessional behavior,” according to the New York Post.

The tweets may have been perceived as having run afoul of rules of conduct that mandate judges avoid actions that “cast reasonable doubt” on their impartiality, even in their "extra-judicial activities."

Locke’s inciting tweets have since been deleted as his account autodeletes after a certain amount of days.

“Last week, I was fired from my job as a New York City Administrative Law Judge,” Locke tweeted on Sunday night. “This came after a member of the City Council took issue with tweets I wrote in response to their bigoted and misguided statements about drag queens and about the queer community at large. The Councilmember and news outlets also took this opportunity to expose me for unrelated x-rated work, none of which occurred during or at work for the City.”

The New York Post story that broke the news of Locke’s firing trumpeted the lawyer’s x-rated Twitter account. On it, Locke sometimes showed his face, admitted to others that he was a judge, and promoted for-pay x-rated OnlyFans and JustForFans accounts. In some of his captions, he referred to his job and sexual acts, in line with the “storylines” of popular porn accounts which take a nod from the narratives of studio porn. In another post, Locke also stipulated that tweets about work were about things he was doing not as a judge but as a partner in the law firm he founded in April 2021, Locke LLP — the firm continued to do business even as Locke took on his role as a judge.

Much of the media about the firing centered on Locke's sex work as the cause of the firing.

“It is disappointing that the City of New York decided to take the side of a documented bigot instead of seizing an opportunity to stand against ever-growing anti-LGBTQ hatred, particularly the fervent hatred toward the trans and nonbinary communities,” Locke continued. “The ethics rules guiding New York City Administrative Law Judges do not require a judge to abstain from politics or political speech. I remain steadfast in my insistence that my tweets, even if not polite, did not violate any ethical guidelines.

“The most vulnerable members of the queer community are fighting for their lives, and the only people offended by my tweets are those more interested in policing language than opposing policies and politics which kill.”

“I will continue my private work,” Locke wrote, referencing his own firm, “using my legal skills to represent paid clients and to offer pro bono services for members of the LGBTQ community who need it most. I will also continue my work on [OnlyFans and JustForFans.]”

To promote those accounts, the lawyer also operates a separate promotional Twitter account.

“Sex work, including porn, is not shameful and I will not filter my thoughts and actions to appease those who enact harm on my community,” he finished. “This started not as a political disagreement, but as a human one. A politician used their influence to win this battle, underscoring just how important it is — now more than ever — to stand up against bigotry and ensure the protection of the rights of the most vulnerable.”

[kenjiyabuki]

dmd ftr ep 5 shenanigans: surprise, bitch. i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me

when this episode was nearing the end, it felt bittersweet as i got attached to watching these boys weekly and upcoming series will probably gonna take forever to come out (i am sure they will keep on being active by doing dances on tiktok and selling products on lives etc but i find those contents very tedious, i like my actors acting more). i was wishing for this not to be the end and then, to my surprise, BAMMMM a preview for another episode started playing!!!! but then it was still bittersweet bc it was revealed that they will be singing and dancing throughout the whole episode...

like many other BL fans, there is nothing that turns me off faster than BL boys singing. personally, more than the boys' voices, its the songs themselves i find unbearable to listen to. to my dismay, Thai BL industry loves generic pop and slow ballads, two genres i cant stand listening to. anyhow, i enjoyed the fuck out of My School President, songs and all, so i am open to surprises!!! in fact i am begging to be proven wrong!! and i am glad that they seem to be choosing the winners based on their skills, not by vote or smth else!!!

now back to the episode::::

How Well Do You Know Your Bro challenge was kinda boring because questions were not that riveting but i thoroughly enjoyed Thomas being put down about not getting to play w Kong. i will comeback to that Tee & Kong situation soon.

finally KengNamping won and they got to have some lil old✨💫💞The Special Friendship Time💕💫 ✨. is this what we are calling having a heart to heart on a pseudo-date with your potential work partner nowadays???? during their Special Friendship Time, i was busy taking hundred of screenshots of Namping because he looked so damn good in his fit!!!!!!!!!

pink lipgloss, Celine shades, rainbow mesh sweater, bracelets, Adidas Samba OGs.... cmonnnn

it was sooooo sweet to see them openly talk about their lives and dreams. they had such a progress across these 5 episodes!!! they were finally open about how they want to work together but also things they need to better in order to do so. i cant help but just love their blushing and awkward demeanor!!! it somehow works in their favour.

so funny how keng is admittedly a hard to crack introvert but sometimes his awkward bluntness somehow leads to UNBEARABLY cute moments. like i was climbing up the wall when they were having their final discussion on the bench and keng was being like "who else would i be talking" OR "can we get this over with" while looking Namping in the eye LMAOOO and Namping cant help but just giggle... just some yummy novice fanservice <3

back at the house, Thomas getting jealous over TeeTee & Kong having a talk was funny to me because the it was kinda one of the most obviously produced/edited scenes of this show. i am not going to blame them, maybe they were worried about the show being too conflict free. honestly, i did actually expect Tee to ask Kong to be his partner because nothing gets past me just like Thomas::

we know in all boys sent postcards to each other episode 1 but the show didnt reveal who sent which. well actually, Domundi X account shared a picture of the postcards and (if you have too much free time like me) you can pair the cards w info given by boys themselves in that episode;

another brilliant investigative work i've done in collabration w Paint. also peep Namping's cute duck drawing. honestly what this man cant do???

so hey, Tee sent his postcard to Kong!!! so while folks were on social media making fun of Thomas being overly possessive, my dude was actually onto something!!! his radar was going off and he had to settle the matter!!! i get him, he is like "i''m already an established actor and have a fanbase, just let me get my man so we can maximize our joint slay and leave" and he is so right.........

since the first episode, everyone was tickled by how this show is working like a dating show, me included. but after seeing this comment and similar ones made me think further:

if you think about it, they kinda WILL date??? not on some delulu shit, think about it: they will be shipped, will do fanservice & skinship, spend most of their time together, travel together, co-habit if its required, not just work together but also will be required to take care and trust and depend on each other, FOR at least a couple years if it works out. they will be stimulating "dating", even out of a tv series. being branded pair is a long term job that requires a lot of trust and compatibility. they are also rookies in the industry, so of course they are taking it seriously and discussing their future like choosing a romantic partner.

so, while i felt really sad for Latte as he seemed really worried while trying to look chill about everything, i am glad TeeTee and First chose to not rushing into a pair just to win the show and were honest about still needing time to hone their craft and building chemistry. and i'm not opposed to TleFirst but i still want to see LatteFirst in LUAT as the side couple. i enjoyed them in the pilot trailer and think their roles is going to fit them well. i also dont want to see an actor lose a job for a ship, cmon...

Gems broke my little heart again ahhhh. TBH, Tle clocked his tea when he said Gems should be more confident in himself. its not easy to do so in front of an audience and i'm sure the industry feels like horse race but i hope Gems will be more sure of his abilities in the future and finally have his moment.

on a bigger twist, KengNamping & ThomasKong were the finalist couples!!!

honestly, i have NO IDEA which couple i want to see win. mostly because both pairings give off very different vibes to me. for me, my choice would depend on the plot of this supposed new series, but i dont even know what it is even about.

i was thinking what kind of series i would like to see them in. when i think of ThomasKong, i can see them pulling off a fun and youthful series like My School President, Kieta Hatsukoi or I Will Knock You. w KengNamping, they would look good in a period series like I Feel You Linger in the Air or To Sir, With Love, even though Domundi has already LUAT (which will hopefully come out in this century). i just want to see them in something angsty but also incredibly romantic. should the unimaginable occur and someone from Mandee Works is reading this, feel free to steal ideas!

i am excited for next week, i will be glad no matter the outcome. cant wait to see the crazy stage putfits!!!!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE

keng's pink socks, same colour as the namping's blushing cheeks hehe

teetee threatening to drown thomas lmaoooo 🤨im telling yall thomas was onto something w his suspicions, tee is praying on thomaskong's downfall!!

thomas finally being called out for laying it on thick because enough is enough!!!

lattefirst bickering about meat...

idk this is a translation thing or not but gems getting brother-zoned gagged me

keng's glasses taking a dip in the water. you lose some, you win some. his glasses are gone but at least he now has a partner. thank god it wasnt the celine sunglasses...

yes king!!!!!!!!!!

[ramzawrites]

Ah right sorry! I dont know how but my brain was like 'yes discord is exists in minecraft'- Yes of course I dont mind! You can do whatever you want with the request :) Good im happy to hear that! And Thank you!

Original Request: Could I request a shy and quiet reader forgetting they're on a discord call and starts to sing a song that they are listening to? and whoever is on call with them joins in? maybe with Tommy, Wilbur and some other characters you want to write for :)

Remember to eat and drink water!

Secret Singing - Reader Insert

GN

Pairings: none stated but can be read as Wilbur x Reader

Characters included: Wilbur, Tommy, Jack Manifold

Warnings: n/a

Series: a request <3

Summary: Wilbur was busy, but not busy enough to help Y/N set up their workspace at their favorite spot! Going off to fulfill his own errands only to come back to a nice and beautiful tune in the air. 

Words count: 2125

Authors Note: Lmao you are valid, I mean after all skype is canon in the dsmp 💔 Skype my abhorred 💔

Also adhd went brrr again, I tried looking over it a ton but there might still be a few mistakes!

“Oh, wow! Need any help with that, Y/N? That’s a lot of wool you got there!” Wilbur was running through L’Manberg to deal with some errands but stopped in his tracks, having to do a double take as he just saw a mountain of blue wool on legs walk towards his direction. Only then did he notice that it was Y/N who was holding on to a basket with the wool in their arms.

With a concentrated expression Y/N turned around a bit so they could look at him. Pieces of loose wool was laying in their hair or was stuck on their flushed face “Oh! Didn’t see you there! And it’s alright! I’m just getting it over to my bench!”

With their bench they meant the wooden bench they set up themself next to a small pond. They loved working close by it hence the bench to make it a bit more comfortable. It was also still a minute or two off and with the way Y/N was already struggling with the basket, Wilbur couldn’t just stand and watch. How could he hope to be a proper president when he didn’t help people who clearly needed it?

He shook his head with a fond smile on his face, stepping closer to grab the basket from them “Nope, let me help you. Not taking no for an answer.”

Y/N let out a few weak protests but ended up just pushing it into his arms, not wanting to accidentally spill the freshly treated wool unto the ground.

“Hey, um, be- bend down a little, Wil.” their voice weak and wavering like usual. Their shyness getting ahold of them again.

Not even thinking about why they asked this of him, he obliged. They then scoped up the top of the soft mountain so Wilbur had actually a chance to look across. He might be tall but that didn’t help when you held something big in your own arms.

With a soft satisfied smile they begun moving again and for a second Wilbur just stared as he readjusted his grip on the surprisingly heavy basket that Y/N probably made themself. Following after them and making sure that no stray pieces of wool would fall off.

“So, what’s all the blue wool for?” he asked.

For some reason this seemed to amuse Y/N “Well, a lot of our clothes use blue wool. The flag as well! I need some blue thread to either stitch some more flags down on clothing or when repairing them. Same for the flags flying about. General stitching. Besides can’t hurt to have some extra, might even sell some!”

In hindsight this made sense. When this whole L’Manberg situation started out Y/N offered to help stitch together their torn clothes. Over time they got really good at it and nowadays they have kind of turned into the resident seamstress.

Wilbur once apologized for pushing them into this profession only for them to vehemently shake their head “No! It’s fine! I- I enjoy it! It, uh, it also gives me something else to do than worry about our existence.”

He couldn’t argue with that. It was something that he lacked. Everything he did was dedicated to this new nation after all and he would lie, and he did, if this didn’t take a bit of a toll on him sometimes.

Once they arrived at the bench, Wilbur softly placed down the wool next to the seating area as Y/N carefully returned the extra wool back on top. They then sat down on the bench while taking out their tools out of their inventory to turn the wool into yarn or thread.

It wasn’t unusual finding them working here, especially when the weather was playing nice. Often enough sitting together with other people in sometimes comfortable silence or happy chatter. Either making thread, stitching or whatever work they had to do and could do outside.

“Thank you, Wilbur! I’m sure you are busy so I won’t keep you longer but you are welcome to join me if you are done with work before me.”

Wilbur picked some of the stray wool off his uniform and sighed, not particularly looking forward to the work “Yeah. I’ll come around if I can. I’m going to meet up with Tommy in a bit so he might join as well, not sure though.”

Y/N nervously chuckled “Yeah, don’t worry. I know.”

They then begun to set up their tools to start working. Not even looking after Wilbur who begun walking off again in a snail’s pace. He really wasn’t looking forward to his work at the moment but alas it was very important.

It took a bit, but he soon arrived at the building he and Tommy set up as something of a headquarter. It was basically just a room covered in maps, scrapped ideas, plans and a few weapon and armor pieces.

Tommy was already waiting inside for him. He looked a bit annoyed with his arms in front of his chest. Before he could complain to him though Wilbur already threw his arm around Tommy and led him to his latest sketched out plan for L’Manburg. Trying to distract him with work.

They were mostly discussing how to ensure the safety of the new nation and how to create a functioning system inside that would ensure that everything inside would move along smoothly.

Hours passed as they schemed and begun setting a few safety measures up or helped the residents of L’Manberg where they could. Jack Manifold later joined them as well. Helping and even offering ideas of his own to incorporate.

“I think that is all we can do for today. I’m getting seriously tired.” Jack sighed, cleaning the dust off his hands on his own clothes.

“You’re going home?” Tommy asked.

Jack crossed his arms, his eyes wandered off to the side behind his mismatched glasses as he thought for a second “Mh, I was hoping we could hang a bit, you know, outside of work. Haven’t done that in a while.”

“Oh! I promised to maybe spend some time with Y/N if they are still at their pond!” Wilbur suddenly exclaimed, remembering the exchange from a few hours ago.

A happy smile appeared on Jack’s face “Let’s go together then! I haven’t seen them in a while, and it’s been even longer that I hung out with them while they worked. It’s always very calming for some reason.” The last part he muttered but Wilbur caught it.

He wasn’t the only one who thought like this. Most of the people in L’Manberg were drawn to them especially in this chaotic time. It was nice having someone like that around.

“Guess I’ll come with you.” Tommy suddenly exclaimed, pulling Wilbur back out of his thoughts.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, why not. I need to ask them to look at my coat anyhow.”

With that the group begun moving, it was slowly getting darker, but it was still warm outside, so if they were lucky, Y/N was still out.

They were chatting about what they were planning to do next or in Jack’s and Tommy’s case what they have been up to only for them to get interrupted by a tune that the wind carried over to them.

A bit surprised Wilbur looked at the others, hoping to see if they too hear it and true enough, they seemed to be just as surprised as them. Someone was singing but he has never heard a voice like this.

Frankly, it was beautiful.

The tune was sounding sad and yet the lyrics that accompanied it were hopeful. Wishing for peace in a time of turmoil. Promises of a better time filled with a deep love via the voice.

It was a song that none of them ever have ever heard. An original song perhaps?

But what really surprised them was from what direction the music came from.

It came from the pond. From Y/N’s bench.

Almost as if they were worried to scare away a wild animal, they begun to sneak towards said pond. Staying off the path and taking a wild berth. Hiding behind the trees, trying to avoid that if their hunch were right, that Y/N wouldn’t see them approaching.

Wilbur pressed his index finger against his pursed lips as they got closer, motioning for the others to keep quiet. To which Tommy just rolled his eyes, seeing how this was obvious.

Jack slowly moved around the tree and there he saw it.

Y/N was sitting on the bench, their legs crossed with a piece of fabric in their hands that they seemed to stich another L’Manburg flag into. Slowly moving their head from one side to the next to the rhythm of the song.

Wilbur followed suit, using his superior height to peak his head out above Jack while Tommy crouched down to do the same.

They were still intently staring at their handiwork, pushing the nail and thread into the cloth only to pull it out again. Their mouth turned into a happy little smile as they sang this hopefully hymn.

“Wow, I didn’t think they could sing like that.” Jack whispered, looking up to Wilbur.

He nodded, his eyes continuing to rest on Y/N’s happy expression “Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

“I guess it’s fine.” Tommy just whispered back. Of course, he still had to put on his cool dude persona.

Wilbur flicked Tommy’s head “Just say for once what you really think!” He still made sure to keep his voice down, not having heard enough of the song and Y/N’s voice yet.

Tommy scowled and jumped back so he was standing at his full height again “What do you mean? I say what I think! The hell are you talking about!” He tried to keep his voice down but at the end he got louder which made Wilbur panic and clasp his hand around Tommy’s mouth.

Though Tommy saw this coming and dodged out of the way by ducking, resulting in Wilbur to fall over. Crashing into Tommy and pushing him onto the ground, both of them letting out a startled yell.

The singing immediately stopped.

“Ah! Look what you have done!” Jack whined, helping the two reluctantly up.

“Well, if Tommy would have shut his mouth!”

“You attacked me!”

“I did not! I was trying to shut you up!”

“Guys?” a soft and unsure voice broke through their argument.

All three men slowly turned around to see Y/N clutching the piece of cloth they had been working on close to their chest. Avoiding any eye contact. Their face covered in a deep blush. Chewing on their lower lip.

“Are you okay? I- I heard a thud and- I just- I wanted to make sure-“ they stammered.

Tommy seemed to be confused at that “What? No. You were singing though, right Y/N?” Getting straight to the point apparently.

“Tommy!” Both Jack and Wilbur yelled out in outrage.

Y/N’s eyes widened, and they moved the cloth up to their face. Effectively hiding behind it “No. I- uh. I’m sorry?”

“What are you sorry for? Your voice is amazing! Why haven’t you told us you can sing?” Wilbur stepped closer. His eyes wide as well but in amazement.

Though Y/N seemed to cower down even more the closer he got “Because- Because I can’t. Please just forget about it.”

Wilbur wanted to know more, hear more of their singing but they seemed panicked. Hiding away and trying to clearly get out of the situation and he had to take a step back. Guilt welling up in him.

“I’m sorry. We just heard your song, and it was beautiful. I have never heard this song. I guess we got enamored by it especially since your singing was really amazing.”

Jack put his hand on Wilbur’s shoulder and pushed him back a few steps “Come on let’s drop it. They are clearly uncomfortable. I’m sorry Y/N.” He then begun pulling Wilbur along, grabbing Tommy in the process as well who just yanked his arm away from him stating he could walk good enough on his own.

“Wilbur?”

He immediately turned around again to see the nervous Y/N with a determined expression on their face. The cloth now back down.

“The song! I mean, uh, my parent taught me that song when I was a child. Apparently, they wrote it.”

“It’s a really beautiful one. Your parent must be very talented. If you feel ever more comfortable enough I would love to hear the full song.”

Y/N took a deep breath in “I know how to play it on guitar and keyboard? I could, uh, you know. Teach it to you?”

Wilbur’s smile returned to his face “Sounds like a plan.”

[imgonnapanic]

Miyagi Setter Squad Responding to “I Love You”

I can’t condition because I sprained my ankle again so here you guys go. Also I’m so sorry for the oddly specific name but if you want the other setters lmk 😭 I’ll do them later I’m too tired. ⚠️SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 ⚠️

Oikawa Tooru

You were over at his house to study and maybe pass around a volleyball for a couple hours.

It was a pretty peaceful setting, you were splayed out on the floor looking at the ceiling

And he was on his computer doing god-knows-what.

It definitely wasn’t homework-

The silence is destroyed by your phone buzzing.

Your ride was here.

So you pick up your stuff, and you’re just about to walk out the door when it slips out.

“I love you, bye!”

This smooth fuck will pretend to be totally chill on the outside.

But on the inside he’s probably exploding.

He has seen this in movies, read it in books, seen it told to other people.

A couple of people have even said it to him.

(Even though he had no idea why because he had only known them on a last name basis for thirty seconds.)

So he knew alllll about it and exactly how to respond.

But...He didn’t execute as well as he wanted to.

So he ends up giving you some weird ass eyes as his whole face flushes.

“I love you tOo, Y/n.”

You don’t know whether to laugh at him or just leave

But you’re grinning the whole way home.

Yahaba Shigeru

‘Yahaba does not get annoyed at much’

Lies. He gets annoyed at so much that he thinks he might have some repressed anger issues.

The butt naked screaming in the bath after losing to Karasuno helped him come to that conclusion.

But not much actually sets him off.

In other words, he’s not slamming anyone against the wall unless it’s really fucking important.

Or, nowadays, when someone does something to cross you.

Now, you did not know that Yahaba was capable of throwing hands until today.

Because most of his wounds were dealt out verbally.

However, you figured the guy that stole your gym clothes deserved it.

You were just planning to leave it alone, but there he was.

Off campus.

Tackling this random dude.

The fight lasts about thirty seconds before you can run into certain death and break it the fuck up before someone goes to jail.

The dude has a bloody nose already and he listens to you and steps back.

“Apologize.”

He mumbles out a sorry before stalking away.

Yahaba is looking way too pleased with himself.

“That’s assault.”

“That’s chivalry.”

“Shigeru, I love you, but don’t fucking do that again.”

He mumbled a response back. “Yeah yeah I won’t. I love you too.”

It will probably take him at least an hour for that to hit-

Kageyama Tobio

He doesn’t have a very affectionate family, so that phrase has probably only been used sparingly around him.

But he has been silently willing you to say it to him for a while.

He’s already on top of the world when he beats Aoba Johsai.

You are so proud of him for finally taking down his rival.

When that final point is scored, you’re going crazy in the stands with Yachi, Saeko, and Shimada.

It was the most excited you had seen him in a long time.

He achieved his goal! He was now the best setter in the prefecture.

Not that he wasn’t before, obviously 🙄

But you’re sitting on the bus with him after they win, and it’s quiet.

Kageyama’s happy, you’re happy, and there’s almost no one on the bus.

You rest your head on your shoulder.

“I’m so proud of you. I love you so much, Tobio.”

*bang bang there goes your HEAAAAART*

On the outside he gets that wobbly look on his face, but on the inside he’s like

TWO IN ONE DAY?!

You’ve just been watching him smile at the bus driver for twenty seconds before he snaps out of it.

“Ah-I love you too, Y/n.”

You didn’t expect him to be so excited about that.

It was the sweetest thing ever.

Sugawara Koushi

It was after he came up to you and told you that he would no longer be in Karasuno’s starting lineup.

And at first you’re like.

“Bull-fucking-shit Koushi, what do you mean you’re not starting?”

He explains that a new first year setter had arrived with much better technique.

And that the coach had sat him down and explained that to him.

And that he knew that Kageyama was better and that he would be supporting the team from the bench.

You can tell his heart is breaking with every second he tells you this.

So you need to shut him up. Getting mad at the coach wouldn’t help.

You start telling him all the things he can do to still be a significant player.

He could stat games, keep a notebook, make hand signals, paint the notebook-

You can tell he’s feeling much better about himself by the end of your talk.

You pick your next words very carefully.

“You’re gonna have a great season, trust me. I love you, okay?”

Alllll the color just drains from both of your faces.

He’s like “yeah-wait. You love me?”

You rethinking your life decisions: “Yeah?”

“I love you too.”

“...Good.”

“Good.”

Shirabu Kenjirou

MotherfUCKER-

Well, he’s flustered, he’ll give you that.

But you’re not living that one down anytime soon.

You were on your way to school, making fun of stereotypical romance mangas.

“Sh-sh-shirabu-kun!! I guess you have to get to class now...😞🥺💞🌸”

“...we’ll see 😶”

“OHHHHHMYGOSH💞💞💞💞🌸🌸🥺”

By this time, you’re on campus, getting weird stares.

Past, single Shirabu would have given a shit.

But he only had a couple more minutes of making fun of people with you before he had to go to his classes.

Stupid 4.0

So now, you’re just pointing out random things that the horses were doing.

One of them kicked its own shit, and both of you lost it.

You guys were folded in half until coach Washijo came up behind you, and ordered you both to get to class.

As soon as he was out of earshot, you guys started laughing again.

“Well, I don’t wanna be taken out of the starting lineup, so let’s get to class.”

“Okay, love you.”

Oh shit. You did not mean to say that. For Christ’s sake, it had only been a month.

He looks like he’s seen Goshiki fall down the stairs. Almost triumphant.

“I love you too, Y/n. Now go attend to that math grade of yours.”

“Shut the hell up :)”

Semi Eita

Was very well planned out and very thought through.

It was ✨Valentine’s Day✨

And you had it written down in a card because you were pussying out you were a little nervous.

Plus, you could always brush it off and pretend like writing it down wasn’t as big of a deal as saying it.

On the other end, Semi was also planning to tell you.

Like, he was sure you already knew.

And he was sure he was making it into a bigger deal than it should have been.

But whatever, Semi’s never been one to do things halfway anyhow.

He just wasn’t obvious about it.

So, Shiratorizawa was just g l i t t e r i n g that morning.

Which was why you both were currently at a cafe, very far away from it.

This had also been planned, because his coach would not like it very much if he knew he didn’t have the Flu.

So you guys are laughing, talking, awkwardly holding hands over the table.

It’s so obvious that both of you are nervous.

And Semi’s like “wHats wRoNg bAbY?”

As if he’s not in the exact same situation.

So you just hand him the card and the gift you got him for Valentine’s Day and he opens it up.

And you’re basically ready to melt into the floor when he puts the card down.

“You love me huh?”

No answer.

“Well, I love y o u t o o.”

He got so quiet at the end, but the words were finally said, and you were both satisfied.

[secret-rendezvous1d]

“don’t leave me”

hello, hi!

i definitely don’t think this is a one-off thing anymore and this blog may be on the way to merging into a harry styles + matthew gray gubler blog so i’d like to think that that is a new exciting venture people will . i’m really enjoying writing about a new scene, a new character and a new life to plan out and write about. the stories don’t essentially follow each other so they can be read anyhow and in any way but i’d like to think they all follow the same storyline/timeline so they link in that way.

like, reblog and give me some feedback. it’s greatly appreciated and it helps me work out what you want to see and what you are after.

thank you. enjoy.

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“don’t leave me” spencer reid x female reader (reader insert imagine) word count; 2.1k.

* if you haven’t watched criminal minds then this does contain some spoilers to the show that you may want to dodge if you are thinking of starting the series up. *

summary; spencer struggles to come to terms with emily’s return and the betrayal of his friends.

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“Spencer, look, we’ve got to talk about this.”

YN came to a stop with what she was doing when she saw her boyfriend and JJ starting a conversation in the station’s negotiation room, setting down the files she was sifting through so she could pay a little more attention to the conversation happening just a few feet away from the desk she was seated at, eyes still focused on the page with the bold name of a potential unsub printed at the top, accompanied by a picture of what they looked like. She tried to, at least, make herself seem busy without showing herself being nosey over a conversation that didn’t necessarily include her.

“What do you mean, talk about it?” Spencer questioned, looking at her in disbelief, “talk about what?”

YN hated how passive-aggressive he’d been, over the last two days, towards the two women who used to be considered a few of the only women close to him. He was never like that and, given what had happened, she understood his pain and his upset… she just hated how he wanted to push it, and them, away so he could carry on like an unexpected change hadn’t just sprung into his life.

“I get it, okay? You’re disappointed with the way we handled Emily,” JJ stated, hands on her hips as she stood around the opposite side of the table, watching intently at Spencer as he stood looking at the paper in his hands, eyes darting from the print to his scrawny handwriting on the board beside him, “I get that.”

The tension amongst the team was unbearable, to say the least.

As soon as Emily had entered the roundtable room a week prior to their case in Oklahoma, much to the surprise of everyone occupying the room who had stood waiting for the next plan of action to take down Ian Doyle and find his son, there was a sudden wave of uncertainty that seemed swallow the team whole and didn’t have plans on spitting them back out again anytime soon. No one could pick apart the emotions on one person’s face and state clearly how they were feeling. Confusion, shock, anger, happiness, joy, surprise… there were flecks of each emotion but never one clear facial expression that gave away how someone was truly feeling.

Now they were deep in Oklahoma, on a case and trying to find an unsub who had come to light in the recent murders of two young women prior to their touchdown, with Emily back in her regular place and trying her best to get back to normal as a BAU agent for the FBI. No longer under protection of the higher authority, no longer hiding behind an alias that took her identity away and stripped her of who she once was and she was finally able to go back to the Emily Prentiss whom she had been loved by many before life did a one-eighty flip. Almost as if nothing had changed, like the seven months she spent in witness protection hadn’t ever happened, like her death and her funeral and her burial were a fever dream that seemed to never leave the rest of them alone.

For most of the unit, having her back was something so wonderful and so great, to see her jumping back into a case with a mindset ready for justice and helping out with the mind she was graced with having, to have the same pair of eyes that were used to seeing case after case of young victims and unstable unsubs be considered a fresh pair of eyes now she was back. To work a case with someone you were comfortable with, that was what the most of them loved; the witty banter shared, the anger that bounced off from each sentence, the kind and caring charisma to get the best result of a case.  

But for some, it was difficult to adjust to something they had only just overcome.The grief they felt towards the situation of losing a beloved member of the unit, someone so loving and kind, a huge part of their team, it was unbearable and tore them down soon after they presumed they laid her to rest. Going back, visiting her burial site, resting flowers and almost keeping her updated with how everyone had been. They refused to believe she was gone yet denied her when she was found out to be healthy and alive and ready to start back where she left off.

“Well, I have a lot going on, alright?”

A lie, to say the least, but she wasn’t to know that.

“You know what I think it is?”

That caught his attention. And YN’s.

The one question that many profilers, specifically Spencer, hated to be personally asked was that question. They didn’t need to know what others thought when they could have the same thought pattern as each other, they didn’t need someone else telling them what they think they should be thinking and Spencer didn’t need a pity chat from someone who wronged him to find out what he was thinking.

Deep down, YN knew what the problem was and she was handling the situation as best as she could when she was alone with him in their hotel room, but she didn’t think it was as clear cut as people assumed. So how had JJ worked it out? If she was correct in what she thought was wrong with him, that is. He was hurt and he was upset and he was confused; he showed his grief towards missing a friend and he showed how much they meant to him by showing so much emotion yet he just couldn’t come to terms with how none of that was needed anymore. How he didn’t need to build his walls any higher because there wasn’t going to be any more heartache to deal with..

“What?”

“You’re mad that Hotch and I controlled our micro-expressions at the hospital and you weren’t able to detect our deception,” JJ suggested, a little more vigour in her voice as she spoke to him, frustration dripping from her words because she was desperate to get through to him. Absolutely desperate to find some way to resolve an issue that others had forgiven almost instantly, “you’re mad because you couldn’t catch us out on our lies.”

“You think this is about my profiling skills?” He scoffed and shook his head, looking back to the paper in his hands, ”Jennifer, listen, the only reason you were able to manage my perceptions was because I trusted you. I came to your house for ten weeks in a row, crying over losing a friend, and not once did you have the decency to tell me the truth,” he continued, disappointment laced through his words. And he so badly wanted to look up and catch the eyes of his girlfriend, the only one he felt truly supported him and his decision to act out, but he knew he needed to fight a battle of his own. Especially one that he caused but especially one that he was actively dragging out.

“I couldn’t.”

“You couldn’t? Or you wouldn’t?”

It was the first time they made eye contact through the debacle. And, in that moment, JJ could see the pain behind his eyes. The deceit he felt. The grief that was nonsense because they were grieving over no one. The time wasted crying. The time wasted over nothing but false information and lies. She could see he looked vulnerable and naive and she felt guilty for even bringing her back to help on the mission they so direly needed her help with.

“No, I couldn’t.”

“What if I started taking Dilaudid again? Would you have let me?” YN’s eyes shot up at the question he bit towards his colleague; he never considered that, she was sure of it. YN would have known if he did. That time of his life was something she wished he would let go of, something she wished he forgot about so he could carry on with his life, something she wished he never considered again, “I thought about it.”  

YN couldn’t only feel her heart ache but she could feel the eyes of Hotch and Morgan resting upon her figure as she tried to occupy herself.

“You didn’t-”

“I did,” he hissed, placing the paper down on the desk below him and striding towards the doors, passed JJ as she pressed an apology upon him, hoping to get him to stay behind so she could hash it out until he fully understood their reasoning why they chose the plan that they did, “I did.”

“Spencer, I’m sorry-”

“It’s too late, alright?” He mumbled.

His legs took him out of the room and down from the floor they were situated on, ignoring the calls from Hotch as he stood with his arms folded in the corner of the room, everyone watching him as he left to go outside so he could catch a breath of fresh air and clear his mind of all the things rattling around inside his head. An alarming look from Morgan and a squeeze to her shoulder had YN up from her seat, case files left behind as she followed her boyfriend out of the station’s vicinity, catching him on a bench just a short walk away from the entrance of the building.

“If you’re coming here to tell me I need to focus on work rather than what’s happening then don’t, Morgan. I’m not-”

“What on earth gives you the impression I’m the big dude with muscles and a charming voice?” YN teased, his upper body twisting so he could catch the sweet stature of his smiling girlfriend, the slightest hint of a smile twitching his lips before he turned back to face forward. Hands clasped together and resting on his legs, thumbs tapping and rubbing at his skin in circles, feeling the presence of his girlfriend behind him, “mind telling me what that was all about?”

��Isn’t it obvious?” He slipped to the other side of the bench so there was enough room for YN to sit down beside him, her hand reaching over to lace her fingers through his, squeezing his hand tightly as their conjoined palms rested upon his thigh, “I’m hurt and I’m angry, YN. I’m so angry. You saw how much I cried, how much I struggled, how much everyone had to adjust to life without Emily when she ‘died’. Yet they knew, they knew she was alive and they knew she was healthy and okay. They didn’t tell us and that’s- it’s sick,” he grappled, his voice full of passion; there was no way he was angry with them anymore and there was no way he would continue the trait up until someone said something to bring him back down to earth. He was glad she was home - he told her so many times in the last few days about just how great it was to have her home - but he never failed to drift back to the subject of how they dealt with the situation.

“They did it for her protection, Spence. They saved her and, essentially, saved us for truly having to say goodbye to her,” YN admitted, bringing their hands to her mouth so she could press a tacky kiss to the back of his hand, leaving a pink lipstick stain behind in her wake, “she’s safe now because of what they did. Doyle, he’s dead. Anyone who was after, they’re dead. She’s safer now than she was ever.”

“But they watched us grieve at a funeral. We buried something in that ground and were made to believe it was her,” Spencer sighed shakily, “they cried for her, too. They grieved. They said nothing was the same anymore. When they knew the truth all along. I cried with JJ, she helped me when you were working, she was denying it all but, in her head, she knew everything was a lie.”

“Emily left for a reason. To save everyone. She’s back now and you’ve got to remember how everything was before she left us,” YN’s hand gave his a gentle squeeze before she let go, bringing her hands to her lap and waiting for him to look up from the ground so she could see his eyes and so she could see his bright smile, “Spence, she’s not going anywhere.”

He nodded slowly and hesitantly lifted his head, his eyes a little raw around the rims and his lip a little chewed at, but the light in his face was still there. His body scooting closer to YN, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side for a little bit of romance before they were caught and checked on by another agent.

“You won’t leave me like that, will you?” He wondered, “don’t, okay? Don’t leave me.”

“If I’m going anywhere, you’re coming with me, mister,” YN grinned, leaning up to press a kiss to his pink lips, “we do it together or we don’t do it at all.”

[sepublic]

My Coven Head Autobiography Dream

           Last night I had an incredibly insane dream. It was one of those really huge, spanning dreams with transitions that make no sense, but within the dream you never questioned it, and multiple phases and ‘arcs’ that are completely disconnected. But one part in particular caught my attention, because…

           There was a bit where I was in this HUGE library for this university of sorts. Emira and Edric were trying to do some sort of inane project/assignment for the Head of the Oracle Coven (dunno why, they’re in Illusions) and of course they can’t do anything about him putting them through a ton of frustrating antics. The assignment was for Edric technically, but Emira felt obligated to help out, and also because Edric begged her; As did KING, because it was an assignment for King AND Edric? They were doing this together? Within the dream, I was glad to see those two interact, it was an interaction and dynamic I hoped to see, but regardless… 

          There was a bit where far off, Emira spotted a book they were looking for and lashed out with an illusion lasso like from Adventures in the Elements, snagging onto it before anyone else could take it, as she reached out with all of her strength, stretching her arm so Edric and King could grab it; Only to realize it was the wrong book, the actual book was on the other side of the shelf as she was exasperated and frustrated with the two.

            Eventually they got past the Oracle Head’s smugness over the thing, and once the assignment was done, they were no longer beholden to him- So then the twins began tormenting the Oracle Head with their illusions and pranks. While that dude was trying to survive, I remembered something I saw in the midst of the twins and King’s antics in the library, and I glimpsed what seemed to be an autobiography… But with the Oracle Head’s face on it, complete with his sharp-toothed grin! I went around the shelf and located it and was ecstatic for the lore;

           It WAS an autobiography from him, with his name something along the lines of B-something, Van something-ican. I can’t remember the exact name, alas. The first few pages curiously showed an illustration and description of the Oracle Head’s daughter, some very goth, emo, edgy teenager; Who was now dead! And I wondered if the Oracle Head was aligned with Belos to resurrect his daughter, and/or if his study in Oracle magic had something to do with communing with the dead, in this case his deceased child…

           Anyhow I went on, as I got a closer look at the Oracle Head with an illustration. He had a necklace with large orbs strung on it, each one with a swirl-like pattern, each somewhat distinct. Morbidly, the Oracle Head explained that in the past, he’d done multiple campaigns to get elected for a certain position; I don’t think the dream specified, but it was probably for his placement as Head of the Oracle Coven. Turns out, each time he campaigned, he sacrificed another witch’s soul to create one of those orbs, which would grant him good luck and protection- But the orb only lasted until the election was over. Lo and behold, the Oracle Head failed a couple of elections, so he had to go through multiple souls before he finally succeeded…

           It was some ghastly stuff, and I wondered if one of those orbs was made from his daughter’s soul; If despite his remorse and regret, the Oracle Head sacrificed his own child just to succeed! And I wondered if this was meant to be some dark parallel between him and Lilith, who both threw a loved one under the bus- But Lilith never went that far and didn’t always meant to, at least… The Oracle Head, on the other hand, had the audacity to go through with it anyway, and then mourn his fallen daughter as if HE hadn’t killed her! Likewise, I speculated as to why the Oracle Head held onto his previous orbs, now that they were burnt out; As a tribute to those who’d given their lives for him, unwillingly? Or as some sick and twisted trophy of victory?

           I rushed to the TOH wikia –because I was somehow a part of and separate from the in-universe world- and I was the first to record the lore dump from the Oracle Head’s autobiography. As I got to work learning how to cite sources and whatnot, I wondered if perhaps all of the other Coven Heads were like this, as dark parallels to Lilith… What if they had ALL been young witches, who were faced with a moral dilemma to achieve a dream; And like Lilith, they remembered what Belos said about greatness requiring sacrifices, and so went through with it? The exact circumstances and heinousness of their ‘sacrifices’ likely varied, with some more guilty and remorseless than others, but the underlying them was the same; Lilith could’ve been them, and vice-versa. Each Head was influenced as a kid to do that, to follow in Belos’ footsteps…

           Anyhow, I became obsessed with finding the rest of the autobiographies for each Coven Head. I consulted a science teacher from an earlier part of my dream (she vaguely resembled my eight-grade science teacher), and she explained in a mystical, mysterious tone that while these books were in the school, no one had ever found them, hidden as they were amidst countless other books and whatnot; But I surmised that if it was alphabetically ordered, then I just needed to use the names of the Coven Heads I knew for reference! I only knew one another Coven Head’s name, the head of the Plant Coven; Botanica, a name that was actually from some other franchise I knew in real life, that had found its way into my dream. I reasoned that Botanica’s autobiography should be near the Oracle Head’s because they both started with a B.

           The teacher was impressed and decided to be level and give me a hint on my quest; Botanica’s autobiography was actually elsewhere. She gave me a hint or two about it not being in the library, outside, and I ‘remembered’ (I’d never actually encountered this location before in my dream) a small little garden outside, on the outskirts of the building. I rushed off, hitched a ride on some giant wagon-transport travelling around the building, and hopped off to a humble little area with a few benches and little stairs leading up to one another, and a BUNCH of fallen leaves.

           I knew I had to do a bunch of side quests essentially to unlock these autobiographies, and I guess also out of the goodness of my heart, I began to help clean up the leaves and dump them into a bin. Another witch showed up, SHE resembled a piece of fanart I’d seen earlier in real life of this other character (I have it saved on my phone), and she was clearly affiliated with Botanica, possibly an aide or apprentice. She noted my good work and began to help me, and it was clear that this would lead to an encounter with Botanica herself, or at least her autobiography as a sidequest reward. I got the feeling that despite being affiliated with Belos, Botanica legit had a loving, nurturing care for her plants, and I wondered how this conflicted and worked with Belos’ crueler conquests and control. Did Botanica ally with Belos because his coven system would protect her plants? I wasn’t sure.

           …Anyhow, then I woke up, etc. It was an incredibly surreal dream that makes me all the more eager to get to know the Coven Heads, their relationship to Belos, their backstory, their motives and whatnot, how they feel about Lilith and vice-versa; And any potential parallels between characters among them.

[ohwhathaveidone]

Fuck

Oh ok, hi, I am 20 mins late for my own second blog. Can you tell I went to college in the 2000s? I actually was driving home from taking care of my mom who recently had knee replacement surgery. (OW) Shes a wholllllllleeeee other story. Don’t worry shes a recurring theme. Anyhow I thought I knew what I was going to writing about and midst coming home, hugging my beloved and making a strong but tasteful vodka on the rocks. I wrote a monologue in my head about why women use straws. Obviously something very interesting, but it spun off in terms of me making my drinking and looking for a straw in my kitchen. (I like to spin my ice around, I know I’m a child) “there are none” (OBVIOUSLY IM TALKING TO MYSELF, HERE PEOPLE) Yes but just clean a reusable one...”oh yes yes, you're right” and the amazing brilliant man would reply, “a reusable one, what does that even mean.” and the women gets to reply oh its for your front hole honey, you'd never under stand hahahahahahhahahaha. Wrong? maybe? incorrect? actually no. I think I get that terrible humor from the men I deal with today. Last night I had someone point blank ask me to come over and hang out to then sleep with them, all based on the premise that I had a friend with me and their friend was going through a bad breakup and needed a rebound. As if my pussy and I were waiting on the bench to be called up to play by “coach.” Dude you were lovely, I actually think you’re cute and have a decent personality but you wanting to sleep with me does not make you uncannily special. I appreciate the offer but I’m not wearing a jersey, I’m not just “waiting for my turn.” I’m happy you’re so proud of your little partner. Not degrading you, just asking you to do better little fella. 

[serious-writers-block]

Vessel - Chapter 26

Summary: Sam and Dean thought their lives were a living hell. When they find a young girl who shares their name and family business, neither of them can help but be curious about who she is and what she can do for them

Series Masterlist

Previous 

"Anything?" Dean asked Sam from behind the wheel. His brother sat beside him, scrolling through his phone in search of any omens near Mary's hometown.

He shook his head, "nothing." Sam shifted to look at his sleeping sister in the backseat. They were still a few hours outside of Peoria, but because all three of them could drive they'd made good time. "She's still asleep."

Dean scoffed, "she's a teenager. When you were her age all you did was sleep, grow and-"

"And argue."

"Which she does a surprisingly limited amount of," Dean nodded, "I'd say we got pretty lucky."

"She's a good kid," Sam agreed, "so if it's not demons, what do you think it could be?"

Dean glanced in the rearview mirror, "well, she's public enemy number one in the supernatural world so, who knows? Angels?"

"You think angels would go after the Holy Spirit's vessel?"

"They've helped start the apocalypse before. I mean, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing they've done."

"So, you think we're walking into a trap?" Sam asked.

"I know we're walking into a trap, Sammy. The trick is figuring out who's setting it, that way we know what kind of trap we're walking into."

Mary shifted behind them, pulling the jacket she was using as a blanket tighter around her before stilling again. She continued sleeping.

Dean quietly continued, "you know what's weird about carting the kid around?"

"What?"

"I never really pictured either of us as fathers. I just didn't think it could ever be in the cards, man. I mean, we didn't really have a great example, but seeing her asleep in the backseat-"

"Makes you wonder if this is what it would've been like?"

"Makes me wonder what Dad was thinking, raising us the way he did. I mean, I get it man, leaving MJ in a foster home like he did. Not telling us about her."

"She still ended up here," Sam reminded him, "hunting."

"Yeah, but," he sighed, "she had most of a childhood. I think about… about all the kids we've met over the years, everyone ruined by hunting, she's-"

"She's still good."

The brothers were quiet, each reflecting on their childhood and the few expectations they still had for their lives. Sam quietly added, "you still could, if you tried hard enough."

MJ groaned behind them before any more could be said on the subject. Sam glanced back and couldn't help but smile at the face she made.

"What the hell?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," the eldest said with a grin.

Mary took a deep breath in before she coughed violently, "god, who farted?"

Dean burst out laughing, not expecting that to be the first thing out of his sister's mouth, "don't you know by now not to sleep with your head behind Sammy?"

"Hey!"

"Dude," she chastised.

"Smelt it, dealt it," Sam tried.

"Oh, sure," MJ sarcastically responded, "mister 'we need to eat more protein,' 'we need to get healthy.'" Dean's laughing fit continued at the youngest's impression of Sam while Mary sat up and situated herself in the center of the bench seat. She balled up the jacket and tossed it to the side before looking at Dean, "what are you laughing at old man? You're not any better." This time it was Sam's turn to laugh at their sister's teasing.

Dean's face dropped hearing her call him old, "that's just mean. Don't you know to never talk about someone's age?"

She shared a look with Sam before she egged him on further, "isn’t that just with women?"

Dean saw his opportunity and took it, "I don't know, why don't you ask Rapunzel over there?" He nodded to his younger brother.

The three laughed until their sides hurt, poking fun at one another as siblings do.

~~~

MJ sighed, looking over her right shoulder and then her left at the brothers that flanked her, "just keep your eyes out in case I miss something." They stood at the front door of the foster home in Peoria, each anxious for their own reasons but equally apprehensive of what awaited them inside.

"I'm sure they're fine, Mary," Sam attempted, though he doubted his words would make any difference.

"But what if-" her words were cut off by Dean's quick knock on the screen door.

"There's only one way to find out," he muttered quietly. Mary was about to respond but stopped herself when she heard the distinct sound of the deadbolt being unlocked.

"Mary?" it was the priest who opened the door, "were we expecting you?"

"No," she shook her head, "we were nearby and my brothers thought I might like to see everyone."

He looked at Sam and Dean before his lips parted in a smile, "well, come on in." He stepped aside and allowed the Winchesters into the house.

"Where are the kids?" Dean asked, noticing the unlikely silence.

"School, they started last week."

"You don't work at the parish school?" Sam wondered.

He shook his head, "not today. They had Mass this morning, but after that I have the day to myself. You remember Mary, you loved Mass day." Mary nodded but offered no vocal response.

"How are the kids, Padre? We haven't really seen them since the fire."

"Happy and healthy," he said with a smile.

The Winchesters continued to make small talk for another ten minutes before finally saying goodbye and leaving the old foster home.

"He seems normal," Sam said once they reached the Impala, "and he said the kids were good. There are no omens. Maybe it was just a nightmare like the other ones." Dean waited to see what MJ thought before giving his two cents.

"I'd feel better if I could see the kids, do the tests."

"So, we come back when they're not at school," the eldest decided. They dropped their conversation when one of Mary's old neighbors approached them.

"Mary!" she greeted with a smile, "I didn't expect to see you around here again." Sam and Dean recognized the woman from the case with the demon-possessed teenage boy during which they'd met their sister. "It's been such a good summer for all you kids," she said with a happy face, though there was sadness in her voice, "seeing all of you find forever homes, it makes me feel like someone really is up there, looking out for us."

"All of us?" Mary questioned.

"Didn't sister Sarah tell you? All the little ones were adopted. There's no one left at the home besides her and Father." Dean and Sam exchanged a look, but MJ seemed too stunned to respond.

"We must've missed the memo," Dean stepped in to fill the silence, "how long ago did you say they were adopted?"

"Can't have been more than a week or so. Anyhow, I need to get going. It was nice seeing you, Mary."

MJ responded, still with a far off look in her eye, "you too."

Once the neighbor was gone Sam turned to look at his siblings. "So what gives? Why did he lie to us about where the kids were?"

Then it dawned on Mary. "Shit," she muttered as she ran to the trunk and yanked it open, "shit, shit, shit." She pulled out multiple flasks of holy water, throwing one to each of her brothers. She hesitated momentarily before she grabbed the extra angel blade the boys kept in the trunk.

"MJ?" After her numerous lectures on why demons should be exorcised, not killed, seeing their sister reach for the blade was a rare sight.

"I should've known," she continued muttering to herself, "I should have fu-"

"MJ," Dean stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He turned her so she was facing him, "we-"

"The mat," she wouldn't let him get a word in, "the welcome mat I bought for the house. It had a demon trap on it and now it's gone."

"That doesn't-"

"Sam, he would've told me if the kids had been adopted. Sister Sarah would have told me. He didn't and the stuff I put up to protect them is gone. I'm not risking being wrong here."

"You're right," Sam sighed, "but we shouldn't just run in guns blazing." Children's laughter pulled their attention back to the house. Mary tucked the angel blade into her jacket before leading her brothers up the front steps. Before she could knock, the front door was opened.

"Mary," the nun said with a smile, "come on in." MJ hesitated, but upon hearing the children's laughter again she stepped into her former home. "The kids are upstairs; they'll be so happy to see you." Mary glanced up the stairs, unsure of whether or not to trust the familiar face, knowing that there was no way all the kids and Sister Sarah could have snuck back into the house without the Winchesters noticing. They had been standing just outside, they couldn't have missed them.

"MJ-"

"Oh, Dean, let your sister go," she insisted with a smile, "she'll be okay. You know that."

"No," he argued, "no, I don't know that." Before he could reach into his pocket for his flask of holy water, the nun sent him flying across the room.

"Dean!" as he shouted his brother's name, Sam was pinned against the opposite wall and immobilized completely.

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary," the demon sung as it approached the girl, "we've been looking for you."

"We?" she raised her eyebrows, attempting to stall the monster while she came up with a plan.

"See, Crowley, he had no idea how special you were, but Daddy… when he found out you were running around with the Winchesters, he sent us all out to find you."

"Whose bright idea was it to go somewhere I haven't been in over three months?"

"Mine," a male voice came from the staircase. It was the priest from earlier, this time there were little specs of red blood on his otherwise pristine collar. Sam and Dean fought against the demonic powers but remained glued to the wall. "I figured," the demon continued, "if you're anything like the Winchester boys who seem to be so fond of you, family is what really matters. You'd come running back here eventually." As the demon-priest spoke, MJ tip toed closer toward the nun. It was then that she realized Sam and Dean were having the life choked out of them.

"True," Mary nodded once she was within reach of the first demon, she could see her brothers fading fast. "You forget though," she plunged the angel blade into the former nun, "I'm a Winchester." The demon flashed and then the body fell. Sam and Dean were finally able to breathe again. "Exor-"

The demon inside the priest sent Mary flying, "oh baby, you just don't know when to quit, do you?" She began to pick herself up off the floor, wiping the blood from her lips. "I'm surprised you came back here. After everything, but then you unwanted little bastards will take whatever form of love you can get."

"Shut up," she muttered, finally standing up straight.

"Oh," it gave her a sad yet sarcastic look, "do Sammy and Dean not know?"

"What's he talking about?" Dean asked.

The demon turned to him with a wicked smile, "you've read the papers Dean-o. What do you think happens to pretty little girls who live with priests?" Dean glanced at his younger sister who was attempting to sneak up on the demon.

"You're lying," Sam interjected, wanting to distract the demon long enough for Mary to make a move.

"I know everything this little kid-toucher has ever said or done, Sammy," it grinned, "why would I lie about his precious little Mary Josephine?"

"You son of a bitch," Dean muttered, lunging at it. Once again, he was sent flying backwards, this time he slammed against a framed photograph. The glass shattered upon impact.

Before she could kill it, the demon spun around and gripped Mary by the neck, lifting her several inches off the ground, "what I want to know is what the hell makes you so special?" His grip was so tight she was unable to speak.

Mary's vision was already starting to blur when Sam stabbed the demon from behind. She fell to her knees as she gasped for breath.

"Mary," he drew the knife out of the priest's body, "you okay?" She nodded and let him help her to her feet. "Dean?"

"Yeah," the eldest grunted as he stood, brushing shards of glass off himself. He looked at Mary, disappointment painting his features. She didn't say anything as she marched past them and up the stairs.

"Mary?" Sam followed her as Dean trailed behind.

"They wanted me to come back," she said as she reached the top of the steps, "they wanted me to come looking for them." She stopped when she reached the door to the nursery, too scared to open it. Knowing how hard it was for his sister, Sam reached around to turn the knob.

"Jesus."

The Winchesters were met with the horrific scene of a violent blood bath. The baby, who Mary had carried to safety during the fire three months before lay slaughtered in her crib.

"There's too much blood," she muttered, only seeing the infant's body, "where are the others?" She pushed past her brothers to explore the other rooms. The bedroom once shared by the young boys in the house was equally as bloody, and the remnants of the four toddlers were perched in their beds as if they were waiting for Mary to tuck them in one last time.

Only one room remained. The room Mary had shared with Ruthie for most of her childhood sat with the door slightly ajar. She knew the scene that awaited her would be sickening, but MJ could never have been prepared to see the cruel nursery rhyme painted onto the wall with her young foster-sister's blood.

                                     Mary, Mary quite contrary,

                                   How does your garden grow?

Next Part

[ibelieveinahappilyeverafter]

To Land On Your Feet - Chapter 09

Oof, so it looks like I'll have to do updates once a week on Friday/Saturday where finals are kicking in at college for me. I barely survived the week, but here we are with a fresh chapter! It's more of a transition chapter, but hopefully you all enjoy it anyhow!

Also, consider donating $3 a month to my Patreon and getting access to unpublished drabbles and the Google Doc where I write this story; meaning you could see chapters and notes days or even weeks in advance.

Enjoy!

               Click here to read the work on Archive Of Our Own.

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Summary: Aizawa Shouta had a good life. He was a happily married pro-hero teacher, had two cats that loved to make his life difficult, and soon, if things went well, he would have Shinsou Hitoshi as a son. Thanks to an unexpected attack by a man with the League of Villains, though, Shouta is turned into a cat. While he had a fondness for cats, that never meant he wanted to be one, especially when no one seems to recognize him and his friends and family are trying to find him when he’s right there.

He had been planning to find a way to change back, but instead he ends up following Shinsou Hitoshi to the foster home he lives in after hearing some worrying information from the teen himself. Shouta himself was guilty of venting his frustrations to cats, but hearing that Hitoshi would be locked outside in the cold if he was late getting home was just another clue among countless that something was wrong. He has to get back to normal, but he’d be a poor hero and a shit father-to-be if he didn’t follow the kid and make sure he was okay.

Besides, quirks like this usually had a time limit. Right?

        <<First Chapter>> <<Previous Chapter>> <<Next Chapter>>

                                           Chapter Nine

‘You know, you’re not very subtle when it comes to avoiding people.’ Shouta grumbled and made other odd noises he didn’t have a name for as he watched Hizashi avoid him, yet again, during the break he and Hitoshi were taking from training. ‘I know you’re not afraid of cats, ‘Zashi, so now you’re just being ridiculous.’

It was utterly ridiculous, but Hizashi was no doubt avoiding him because he reminded him so much of his ‘missing husband.’ Avoiding him, however, made it so that Shouta couldn’t tell Hizashi that he was his missing husband. While Shouta had no regrets about following Hitoshi home, especially since now he had all the evidence he needed and the kid seemed much brighter than before, it was still impossible to get Hitoshi to understand who ‘Eraser’ really was.

It was perhaps for the best, all things considered at that point. Shouta didn’t want to get Hitoshi involved in this anymore than he was in case the League of Villains realized their success and sent someone else after him. It was unlikely, but Shouta had been a pro hero for a little over a decade. Unlikely was never impossible.

His best bet was to try and convince Hizashi of the truth and go from there, but trying that was made difficult by the fact that Hizashi wouldn’t even so much as look at him. As much as Shouta would love to climb his way up to Hizashi’s shoulder and scream at him until he understood, the last thing he wanted to do was interrupt Hitoshi’s training.

The kid had a mock trial exam coming up in a couple of weeks that would determine whether he would be placed in the Hero course and, subsequently, Shouta’s class, since there was now an empty spot. It was best not to distract him, but that didn’t mean Shouta couldn’t sulk from the corner.

‘When this is all over, Hizashi, I’m going to hold this over your head until we’re both dead.’ Because for as clever and open-minded as the man was, he had a horrible time listening to his instincts in a tense situation. It was the reason they worked so well together, Hizashi’s high intellect and Shouta’s trained instincts, but sometimes it was also the reason tension could be caused.

Thoughts starting to trail off again, Shouta focused on where Hizashi was teaching Hitoshi the proper way to break out of a hold, Hitoshi intently focused and Hizashi smiling softly whenever Hitoshi wasn’t looking directly at him.

‘And you thought you’d be a terrible parent,’ Shouta scoffed to himself, flexing his paws for a moment as he stretched. It was another thing to add to the list of things Shouta needed to say and do once he could.

Hizashi was goofy and silly and loud, but he was a wonderfully kind, loving man, and Hitoshi easily adored him as much as he tried to hide it. They were both thinking the worst of what had happened to him, but Shouta couldn’t help but feel a little relieved that he was able to at least be close to them both.

‘I’ll fix this, you two.’ He didn’t want to interrupt Hitoshi’s training, and Hizashi was avoiding him, but that was all okay. Shouta had other options.

                                                             ::

It took another full day, but never let it be said that Shouta wasn’t patient. Not even bothering to wait outside the gates, Shouta kept pace with Hitoshi, seeing the boy off to class and enduring a hug goodbye and a warning to ‘be safe.’ After he was sure Hitoshi would make it to class, he let his paws carry him to the, yet again, open window of Class 1-A.

This time he didn’t stop to listen to their chatter, jumping inside and ignoring the yelps and muttered swears from the students near him. A quick run and jump onto his desk and Shouta felt his rising hope shattered as he saw the empty seat.

‘Still out, then… Must be a nasty bug he caught.’ Kouda might not be back until the end of the week if what he overheard the other day was true. He mused that things like this never could be easy.

“The demon cat is back,” Kaminari ‘whispered.’ “Dude, do you think he’s a zombie cat, or something?” This caused a wave of reactions, a few students shuddering and yelling not to say things like that, while a few, like Bakugou, called the kid a dumbass. Shouta was on Bakugou’s side. “What?! I saw an American horror movie about something like this! He even looks evil!”

‘Keep in mind, Kaminari, that you’re on the verge of failing math and I can and will force you into a room with Ectoplasm until you understand it.’ Honestly, how that kid could be so good at English and yet so bad at Math, Shouta would never know.

“Well, I think he’s cute!” Uraraka was up and out of her seat, Shouta not having time to run before he felt her fingers carding through his fur and scratching him. “He looks well taken care of, though. Do you think he escaped from someone’s dorm?”

Oh, jeez, now the whole class was chiming in and talking about finding his ‘owner.’ Shouta had a lot of comments he could make for that one, but he avoided even thinking them, just in case. The last thing he needed was a class full of traumatized students.

“Maybe he’s a kid with a shapeshifting quirk!” The call came from Kirishima and Shouta made a mental note to give him a few extra credit points and a gold star or something because that was a brilliant idea.

While animal communication quirks weren’t rare, they were less common than shapeshifting quirks. It was far more likely that Shouta could find a student in the school who could shapeshift into a feline and be able to understand what he was saying - at least to some degree. They would at least be able to tell he was once human.

‘There should be a third year with that quirk in General Studies, but how to get to her…’ The General Studies classrooms were further away and Shouta doubted he could get away with just wandering the halls. It was possible he could just follow Hitoshi to his building, tomorrow, but the less time he wasted the better.

“-so cute!” Shouta focused back in on his students, putting up with all the touches with minimal growling. Maybe he should get them a dorm pet if they looked this cheered up over a cat. Although he wouldn’t get them a cat. A porcupine or armadillo, maybe; something that could withstand their quirks.

Before he could get too far in his thoughts, the door was opening and Nemuri was walking in with a large, dramatic sigh that she had learned from Hizashi, “Sorry I’m later than usual, everyone.”

‘Nemuri, I want you to remain calm.’ Shouta tensed the moment Nemuri’s eyes fell on him, her eyes narrowing. ‘Screw it.’ Looking towards his escape, Shouta felt his blood run cold when he saw one of them had closed the window - probably to prevent him from leaving in case he was a lost pet. ‘Shit.’

“Wait, Sensei, he’s a nice cat, we promise!” Uraraka leapt to his defense, Shouta soon surrounded by his students all whining and complaining about ‘keeping’ him.

“Yeah, come on, Sensei, he’s a really sweet cat even if he is possessed by something evil!” Sero complained, not even bothering to hide his grin.

“He’ll die if we kick him out into the cold!” The screech came from Ashido as she gestured to the outside where it was pleasantly warm and sunny.

As they all screamed, it took a moment to remember that these teenagers were in one of the most rigorous schooling programs within all of Japan. Then again, Bakugo had set Sero’s hair on fire and Todoroki had almost frozen his head trying to help put it out.

“Oh, such youthful energy!” Ah, right. ‘Midnight.’ Shouta much preferred dealing with Kayama Nemuri who snorted when she laughed and wore week-old sweaters because she was too lazy to do the laundry. “Alas, my sweetlings, I’m afraid this cat is already spoken for.”

‘I’m what?’ Shouta frowned as Nemuri walked over and extracted him from the mess of students, picking him up without a bat of her eye. Shouta would be impressed, but he had also seen her bench press twice her weight without flinching. ‘I don’t suppose you can read minds all of a sudden, can you?’

Nemuri continued without even looking down at him, “He’s the pet cat of a homeroom student of mine. The poor little kitty here gets lonely and so he follows him to school all the time. Not to worry! I’ll make sure he gets back to his proper home! Now, you all should sit down and get ready for your first class and I’ll be back very soon, okay?”

Shouta rolled his eyes at seeing some of his students look starstruck as they quickly moved to comply, a few of them just having a healthy dose of respect and fear for teachers in general.

“As for you,” Nemuri mumbled, sounding much more like herself. “Let’s get you to the teacher’s lounge, for now, and I’ll drop you off with Shinsou later.”

‘Wait, where did you hear I was- Ah.’ Hizashi. That man couldn’t keep a secret to save his life and had no doubt gushed to the entire staff about the stray cat that had taken to following Hitoshi around.

“You can spend a bit of time with Hizashi, even!” Nemuri’s cheerful tone fell flat, Shouta looking up at her and feeling his heart hurt as he did so. She looked so tired. “He could use a bit of cheering up, lately.”

‘Nemuri, come on, you know me. I know I don’t look that different and you’re always the one with the crazy theories, right? You were the one who thought our entire year was getting dosed with drugs for some government experiment! You have to at least be suspicious about all of this!’

Shouta ‘yelled’ at Nemuri, trying to get her to understand, even trying to do morse code with his eyes like he had done with Hitoshi. The only thing that happened was that he made his eyes hurt as Nemuri didn’t even glance down at all his ‘words.’ ‘I’m going to hold this over your head, too.’

“Hey, Mic!” Nemuri burst into the staff lounge as she often did, startling at least three teachers because, as usual, Nemuri seemed to forget that all of the staff were either current or retired pro heroes with hair triggers towards loud noises and sudden movement.

“Jesus, Nem, can’t you ever enter a room normally?” At the familiar complaint, Shouta couldn’t help but to let some of the tension in his body drain away, Hizashi’s voice, as always, his guiding point to centering himself.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Nemuri walked over and promptly dropped Shouta into Hizashi’s lap, Shouta doing his best to keep his claws hidden and not hurt the man. Luckily, they had two cats at home, so Hizashi was well trained in catching a cat in a way that didn’t hurt. “Found your kid’s cat in Shouta’s classroom. Make sure he gets him, okay?”

“Wha- He was in the Class 1-A room?” Hizashi frowned as he looked down at him, that same suspicion from a few days ago in his eyes that had Shouta feeling elated in an instant. “How did he-”

Nemuri was talking over him, drowning him out before he could finish, “Sorry, hun, no time to talk. Shouta’s kids can cause trouble the second you look away, but I’ll see you at lunch!”

Like a whirlwind, Nemuri was gone as fast as she had come, Hizashi left with Shouta in his lap and looking utterly lost and far too tired. Hizashi was always tired considering he worked the equivalent of three jobs - teacher, radio host, and licensed hero - but Shouta could tell he probably hadn’t slept since this whole mess had started.

‘Oh, Sunshine… You’re too hard on yourself.’ Shouta leaned up to press himself against Hizashi’s cheek, almost whining when he felt him flinch away.

“Alright, cat.” Hizashi pulled him away, staring him in the eyes with his own narrowed. “I know Hitoshi said that he saw you around the school for a while, but there’s got to be more to it than that.” Considering morse code had yet to work, Shouta was about to try sign language before he realized he was in the teacher’s lounge, which meant his desk was right beside them.

Hizashi was smarter than most people gave him credit for to the point he was a genius, so if Shouta started pulling out papers with his name on them and pointing to it over and over, Hizashi would realize in a heartbeat. Hell, he wouldn’t even need papers if he found the right objects on his desk.

Ready to at least try, they both froze when they heard Hizashi’s name called in Yagi’s voice. Shouta hadn’t even heard him enter the room; although it was possible that was due to his focus being on Hizashi.

"Yamada-san? Naomasa-san is here to see you." Nao who? Shouta watched as Yagi stared at them for a moment before floundering, hands waving around in a motion similar to Midoriya. "Ah, sorry! That is to say, Detective Tsukauchi is here to see you about the case concerning Eraserhead."

Hizashi perked up at once, Shouta quickly set on Hizashi’s desk before the man was up and heading for the door with a quick call of, “Thanks! And don’t let him out of the room!” Before Shouta could even try to do anything, Hizashi was gone, Yagi left staring at him with a small frown and curious eyes.

‘I don’t suppose you recognize me, do you?’ Shouta could feel his tired tone in his thoughts, at this point.

Across from him, Snipe sat up in his seat with a laugh, “Don’t worry about it, All Might. Apparently, that kid the two are looking at adopting soon has a cat that keeps following him. Shame Aizawa isn’t here. He’d love playing with a cat-”

Hissing at Snipe as best he could, Shouta took petty pleasure in seeing the man yelp and tumble over his chair, hitting the floor with a grunt in his haste to get away from him. Shouta watched Yagi flounder and look torn between worry and amusement as he rushed to help.

‘At least I have today’s training session,’ Shouta thought to himself, jumping to sit in Hizashi’s chair and knowing he would cry if he could at the familiar almond scent that came from Hizashi’s ridiculous hair care products. Sitting down and shoving his nose towards where the scent was strongest, Shouta closed his eyes and tried to pretend he was napping at home on their bed instead of in the body of a cat and stuck with no one knowing it was him.

Taking a steady breath, Shouta relaxed into the chair and let himself start to drift off. If he was lucky, he’d wake up with a plan to put a stop to all of this.

Somehow.

[grovestep]

Ghostwatch: Chapter 2 [R76]

Title: Ghostwatch Chapter: 2 - Intermission Rating: M Ao3: Click here, remember to leave kudos! Summary:  Gabe, Jack and Ana plan their next episode, and employ the help of everyone's favorite cowboy.

Gabriel sat on the couch at Jack’s apartment, feet propped up on the coffee table and his laptop balanced on his knees. He worked on editing the Poltergeist House video while Ana and Jack bickered over the idea for the next episode. They were committed to posting a video a week, despite having jobs and classes to attend to. Sometimes, Gabe felt ran absolutely thin, but he loved his work. Filming and editing were two of Gabe’s passions.

He was thankful that he met the blond man from Indiana in one of his film courses. The guy stuck out like a sore thumb. Gabriel had figured he was a football player getting a creative arts credit in, but was pleasantly surprised when he found Jack was majoring in theater. He wasn’t a prodigy by any means, but Jack had an air about him that just commanded the camera. Ana was one of Jack’s best friends. Gabe was skeptic about how a finance major could be passionate about film (perhaps he bought into just a fewstereotypes), but Ana had a talent for special effects makeup, and never failed to impress him when they needed something bloody. She was the official co-host, and while not being as a commanding a presence as Jack, she gave as good as she got, and played one hell of a ghost.

He drummed his fingers on the touchpad of the laptop as the video processed. He felt good about the shots he managed to get, though this episode was strenuous to cut, edit and censor. He really needed to watch his copious use of the F-bomb in the moment. It only lead to more work later. It didn’t help that there was a giant purple phallus on the wall (that was not there when they checked the house).

Gabe sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face as he looked over his shoulder at Jack and Ana. Jack was gesticulating wildly, talking about Mothman.

“Jack, honey,” Ana said, her voice slow and pointed, like talking to a child. Gabe smirked. He knew Jack was in for it. “Mothman is from Virginia. We are in Los Angeles.”

“So?” Jack huffed, crossing his arms. He may as well have pouted his lip.

“So, we’d get more flack than praise for a California Mothman,” Gabe said. “Let the Virginians have their bug dude. You’re not fitting this ass in spandex.”

“Fine, then what’s your idea, huh?” Jack challenged.

Gabe stroked his goatee in thought, setting the laptop onto the coffee table. He got up to look at the idea board Jack had on the wall. It was covered in pictures, post-it notes, and push pins. They’d covered plenty of hauntings, alien encounters, the occasional cryptid.

“I don’t want another episode where one of us is the monster just yet,” he said. He ran his fingers over the corkboard, stopping at one of the images tacked there. “How about werewolves?” He pulled down the picture of a hulking, hairy beast.

Ana laughed, leaning back in her chair. “Gabe, werewolves? How is that not one of us dressing up?”

“Hear me out, pendejo,” he huffed. “There’s been reports of bizarre animal attacks up in Big Bear. It could be a two-part episode. The viewers eat that shit up.”

Jack steepled his fingers, leaning forward on his elbows. “Go on,” he said, drawing out the ‘o’ sounds.

“So, we take a trip up there. It gives me a chance to get some shots of the scenery and take a break from heavy editing,” Gabe said, going to sit with them around the kitchen table. “We get some exposition. Plant some footsteps, or pawsteps, or whatever.” He waved his hand. “Really set the mood and shit. Then we end on a cliffhanger.”

Ana still looked skeptical, her brow knit in thought. “Okay, but who will be the werewolf in the second part? It would be odd if one of us disappeared after being there for the first half.”

“We can get Jesse to do it. He’d barely need any makeup,” Gabe said.

“McCree? The guy that talks and dresses like he’s in a John Wayne film?” Jack asked incredulously. He leaned forward farther, encroaching on Gabe’s personal space. “The guy who is still undeclared in our junior year?”

“Can you name a better werewolf, Jackie? Or are you volunteering?” Gabe asked, leaning forward to challenge Jack in his space.

Jack elevated his chin, keeping eye contact with Gabe. He grit his teeth. He knew that Gabe was right, but he didn’t want to admit it. The editor drove him up a wall and challenged him at every corner. Sometimes he just wanted to punch that sly smirk off his face.

Gabe was relentless. He wanted Jack to know that just because he was gorgeous (come on, anyone with eyes could see that) and the head of the trio, he didn’t get final say in everything. Gabriel had dealt with plenty of his kind. While he wasn’t a jock, he was still that type of person that thought he could bat his stupid blue eyes and get people to conform to his will.

Ana sighed, rolling her eyes. “Are you two done posturing?” she asked, waving a hand in front of her nose. “It reeks of testosterone in here.”

“Once Jack stops being a diva,” Gabe said. He crossed his arms, eyes never leaving the blond.

“Me? A diva?” Jack said, clutching a hand over his heart. “I’m hurt, really.”

Gabe reached out and flicked Jack’s nose, making him scrunch up his face. The tension dissolved as quick as it arose.

They bickered more than she and Jack did. They were both so passionate and sure of themselves, it was natural for those energies to clash every so often. Ana loved how they could have a heated argument, then reset like nothing happened. Even if they were to beat the hell out of each other, they’d end up laughing it off.

Jack grunted, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. Gabe took it as a victory. He poked his tongue out at Jack, who flipped him off.

“So, Jesse is our werewolf?” Ana asked.

“On one condition,” Jack said.

Gabe quirked an eyebrow. “Let me guess. So long as he dresses up as a werewolf and climbs into bed with you?”

Jack’s face reddened. “N-No! Why would you say something like that?” he stammered. “I was going to say so long as we can use his van to drive up there!”

Ana pulled a disgusted face. “Let me get this straight. You had an issue with Jesse coming, but you have no issue climbing into the back of his van. His van that smells like stale Pabst, cheap cigars, and In-n-Out?”

Jack put his hands up, the blush on his cheeks slowly dissipating, “Hey. If you want to use a ride service to get there, feel free. Sorry, Gabe, but your motorcycle and my shitty junker aren’t going to cut it.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t totaled your pickup,” Gabe grumbled under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Gabe said. “We leave for the forest this weekend, then.”

--

Getting Jesse on board was easy. Gabe showed up to his dorm room with a case of beer (carefully smuggled in) and a box of cigars. He knocked on the door. There was a clatter and a groan from the other side before the scruffy face of Jesse McCree peered out at him.

“Oh, hey Gabe,” he drawled. He was shirtless and clad in boxers, his cowboy hat casting his face in shadow. His eyes immediately landed on the six pack tucked under the editor’s arm. “Whatcha need this time?” he asked, opening the door to reveal his room.

It never failed to make Gabe balk. The man lived in chaos. There were clothes, beer cans, and fast food detritus everywhere. Jesse clicked his tongue, taking the beer from Gabe. “C’mon, now. You always look like yer about to implode every time ya stop by.”

“Jesse, there is a pair of underwear on the ceiling fan.”

“Oh, that there is,” Jesse said, snatching the boxers down and tossing them into the corner.

“What does your roommate think?”

“Who, Genji? Half this stuff is his,” Jesse said, kicking aside a pair of neon green boxers before plopping down on his bed. He pulled one of the cans from the plastic rings, cracking it open. He tipped the can toward Gabe. “So, what can I do for ya?”

“Well, uh…we need a werewolf for the shoot this weekend,” Gabe said, sitting beside Jesse, careful not to touch any of the stains on the sheets.

“Werewolf, huh?” Jesse stroked his beard, taking a long sip of the beer. “Dunno if a six pack a’ Blue Moon is gonna cut it.”

Gabe sighed, taking the pack of cigars out of his pocket. He threw them into Jesse’s lap. The cowboy beamed, turning the pack over in one hand. “You know me good, Reyes. You got yourselves a werewolf.”

“We also need your van.”

“Figured. Wasn’t no way Jack would have me along without my baby. How is Jackie boy doin’, anyhow?” Jesse asked, watching Gabe out of the corner of his eye.

Gabe flexed his jaw and crossed his arms. “He’s good. Still an asshole. Still stupidly good looking,” he said measuredly, unsure what Jesse was looking for.

“Sooo...you tapped that yet?”

Gabe thought he might actually combust. His face heated and he tugged his beanie down over his ears, hiding their red sheen. He glared at Jesse, who was smiling around the rim of his can.

“Fuck off,” Gabe snapped. “Jack is just an asshole friend who happens to be hot, like you.”

Jesse raised his arms and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m flattered, doll. But if you don’t, I will.”

Gabe snorted, rolling his eyes, “Jack wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole. It was hard enough convincing him to let you come.”

Jesse winked, crumpling the now empty can in one hand. “He just ain’t seen me lay on the charm.”

“Have at him, cowboy. I bet he shoots you down the first time you wink at him,” Gabe sneered.

“You got a bet,” Jesse said, punching Gabe in the arm. Gabe smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

—

The back of Jesse’s van smelled like bad decisions. The white panel van was painted with a desert mural on one side, while the other had “It’s High Noon” scrawled in towering font. The back of the van had shag carpeting that reeked, and the only seating was the front bench made of peeling red vinyl. Gabe was crammed in the back alongside Ana and their equipment. Jack was at the wheel, not trusting Jesse to get them there without a near-death experience. Jesse rode shotgun, not trusting Jack to drive his baby.

And, Gabe thought, to “lay on the charm.”

Jesse leaned close to Jack, talking in hushed tones. To Gabe’s surprise, Jack smiled and laughed.

“Gabe, you’re brooding,” Ana said, resting a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. Gabe grit his teeth, prying his eyes away from Jesse’s courting. He looked at Ana, who had one eyebrow cocked at him.

He rolled his eyes. “What? I brood. It’s what I do. When am I not brooding?”

“I can name a few instances,” she said.

Gabe held his tongue. He ran his hand across the dingy shag carpeting. He tried not to think of what was hiding in between the pieces of red fabric. He looked back at Ana. “He’s winning the bet.”

“What bet?”

Gabe cast a glance at the duo, making sure they were too busy to pay them any attention. “I bet Jesse that Jack would turn him down as soon as he even tried any of that charm shit.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “Never make a bet with that man, Gabe. He’s been gambling since he popped out of the womb.”

A sudden crooning came from the front seat. Jesse had his feet propped up on the dash, a cigar in his mouth and his head back. He belted out the lyrics to Hound Dog at the top of his lungs. Jack laughed along and tapped his fingers to the beat. Ana couldn’t help but laugh. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

Shoot me, Gabriel mouthed. He fell back onto the carpet, the film equipment prodding into his back.

“Jack, you better stop at the next scenic pull-off before Gabe melts into the shag,” Ana said over Jesse’s raucous singing.

Jack gave a thumbs-up in the rearview mirror.

When they came to a halt, Gabriel threw open the back doors, almost throwing himself over the side of the cliff that overlooked LA. He scowled at Jesse as he loped over to the edge. Gabe briefly debated pushing the cowboy off.

He decided murder wasn’t something he was prepared to go to jail for and grabbed his camera from the back of the van instead. He toyed with some of the settings before turning it on and panning across the view. If they had had more time, he would have loved to do a timelapse.

Gabe shooed McCree out of the shots, since he was supposed to be their werewolf. He got a shot of Ana leaning over the rails, looking off into the distance while her hair blew in the wind. She turned toward the camera and smiled, as though she had been caught. It made Gabe grin from ear to ear.

He panned the camera to Jack. He looked like a Boy Scout troop leader. All blond hair and blue eyes and tanned skin. He sat on the rail with his legs dangled over the side. Gabe was afraid he might fall, but the blond man had a sure grip on the rail. He leaned back on his hands and tossed Gabe a look over his shoulder. It was a cocky grin, one he was used to when they were getting into trouble.

Ana pressed into Gabe’s side and craned her head to look at the digital image projected on the camera’s screen. She smiled and pinched his side. “Your turn,” she said as she took the camera from him. Gabe shot her a glare, but didn’t argue. He disliked being on camera, but couldn’t object to making a cameo in some B-roll shots.

He leaned against the rails beside Jack. He took out a cigarette and lit it up. The smoke wraithed around his face and obscured his features. He smirked at the camera as he flicked his ashes toward Jack, who laughed and took a jab at Gabe’s shoulder. Careful not to send Jack sailing over the side, he grabbed the back of Jack’s shirt and gave him a tug. Jack lost his balance and tumbled back onto the ground. He glared up at Gabe, who was taking another drag from his cig.

Jack grabbed Gabe’s ankles and yanked them out from under him. Gabe landed on his ass with a momentous thump.

“Smoking kills!” Jack said between gasps of laughter.

“Yea, and I’ll kill you after that!” Gabe said and flicked his cigarette to the side. He grappled with jack on the ground, getting him in a headlock. Jack bit his arm, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to make Gabe wince. “Hey, that’s dirty!” he laughed, not relenting his grip.

“Like you fight clean,” Jack said through grit teeth.

“Tell me in the best editor ever and I’ll let you go,” Gabe said, unaffected by Jack’s squirming.

Jack huffed, his hands in Gabe’s arms in an attempt to pry them off. His eyes flicked up to Ana, who was still rolling. He bit the inside of his cheek and grumbled.

“What was that, Jackie?”

“You’re the best editor…” Jack said louder.

“Ever.”

“Ever,” Jack sighed and rolled his eyes.

Gabe released Jack, earning a punch to his arm. Jack rubbed his neck and laughed through his nose. Gabe gave him a shit-eating grin and flipped him off.

Jesse leaned against the van, one leg propped up while he puffed on his cigar. He watched the two tussle with an easy grin. Jesse had competition, whether Gabe realized it or not.

[ranting-24-7]

Have I talked about muscles? I know I talk about him all the time to friends, but I don’t think he ever caused me any stress or pain really, so no need to talk about him here I suppose.. but that’s not exactly true.

I just went through all my personal posts to check, and yeah, I never mentioned him (& barely briefly mentioned Hersheys but it was a random thing with no context) here.

So backstory. I had a crush on this one dude who my dad could never pronounce or remember his name, but it kinda sounds like Hershey’s so that became his nickname. Had a big ole crush on him until I found out he was younger than me. Lots of cute stuff happened with him. One of the best examples is when we watched civil war together. He hadn’t seen it, knew I was obsessed with marvel, and so bc there were almost no people coming in for help at our job (we worked at our school’s post office), he put it on so we could watch. Both of us were really awkward and I was sure he had a thing for one of our coworkers. Found out after she graduated that she actually had a thing for him.. 😅 A lot happened with him really, but it’s way too much too try to remember it all. Long story short, there might’ve been a potential something, but I don’t think I was his type. Especially bc his family is really religious, and bc we had different values (one such being our dedication to working out.. when it’s up to him, he goes to the gym daily for most of the day. Otherwise, he does whatever exercise he can when he can. I on the other hand have to force myself to go to the gym, and even then, I don’t always really work out. Anyhow)

So one day, one of my classmates came to the post to pick up a package, and that’s how he found out I worked there. From then on, he made it a point to try to come while I was working to say hi. I get it, I do that too a lot. But one day he came over for no reason other than to say hi. That was an interesting day, and especially bc then Hershey’s kept teasing me about him and that he must have a crush or something. I didn’t think so since backstory with muscles, I thought he was cute and so did one of my new friends in class. We always joked about him being such a show off, but damn, thank goodness for that bc boy is FIIIIIINE! Since she started really liking him, I tried to hook them up. Around then is when he started coming to the post so I figured if anything, he realized and was trying to help with the whole getting to know her thing too. But yeah, that was the start of muscles being more on my radar but I have like 50 billion crushes all the time so I didn’t think much of that.

At the time, I bounced between crushing on Hershey’s, Teddy, Muscles, and of course Kid from my weekend job. Kid had more of a chance than anyone else bc he actually showed interest and I knew for sure it wasn’t one sided.

Anyhow, so with muscles, he’d come visit me, we tried to go out to lunch together a few times (though we actually got to go like 2x), he fell in love with my peanut butter ice cream, and you know, he was chill. I really liked him. Always as a friend, but god he’s hella cute so being around him always got me flustered.

Anyhow, over this past summer we’ve been talking a lot more. We have each other on snap so we’d talk weekly if not daily. And he even said he’d make me some of his famous patès if I go back to visit him at our college. Our agreement bc I got all embarrassed is that I’d make some banana bread, he’d make some patè, and we share/trade. Either way, that’s been the plan.

But then I was at my internship so that pushed it back a lot. And now I gained a lot of weight and honestly feel like I can’t bear to face him at my current size. This man is called muscles bc he’s literally muscles on top of muscles, on top of muscles. He could probably bench press my fat ass and be like “pssh! That? no sweat.” No, nvm.. I’m 230 so I’m for sure still heavier than I think what he usually uses. Anyhow.

So he hasn’t caused me any pain, but stress. There’s the obvious, I need to look good when I see him bc he is literally the hottest person I know. But there’s also the fact that bc my mom knows of our friendship and his looks, she expects something to happen between us. I think she’s scared I’m a lesbian so she keeps trying to push me into possibly seeing him more than a friend, but the more she does it, the more I feel my friendship strained with him. I want to be his friend. He’s someone I care about, but not in a romantic way. Honestly, it could turn to that, but I admire him. He’s dedicated, motivated, and knows what he’s doing with his life. He was in the military, and has traveled the world. He knows so much, and I would love to glean some of his knowledge and insight. I care for our friendship, and I don’t want to lose that.

I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting, but I’m going to stop here. This is getting to long now...

[mysticvampyre]

Fallen Angel

Have this little gem on my FanFiction.net but decided to post it here in the spirit of Halloween so... here ya go! Enjoy!

FALLEN ANGEL PART 1

"Out of the way! Move it!" A girl shouted as she pushed past a crowd full of tourists that filled the boardwalk.

"Stop her, someone stop that girl. She stole my purse!" An overweight woman shouted as she huffed along trying to catch up to the girl. The woman bent at the waist holding her knee as she tried to catch her breath. She knew she couldn't catch her and her pleas of help fell on deaf ears seeing as no one else made a move to go after the girl in question.

You see that kid there running like the Flash. Yeah that's me. What can I say. I'm not usually a bad kid, it's not like I took the Rosanne Barr look-alike purse for fun. I was broke. I need the money. Hey being a runaway in Santa Carla isn't easy. Nor is it cheap. Especially since I ran over three hundred and forty-eight miles to get here. Why did I run to Santa Carla? I've asked myself the same thing since the day I first came to this little beach town nicknamed the "Murder Capital of the World." I can't explain it. I just had and unexplained pull to this place. Anyhow let's get back to me and see how my little adventure is panning out shall we.

The girl took off and disappeared into some empty alley. Soon She tipped the purse out onto the ground looking for anything useful. She grabbed really the only thing that would be any good to her. Cold hard cash. She left the rest of the contents of the purse strewn on the ground before peeking her head out of the alley. She gave a quick look around checking to see if anyone was tailing her. When she was satisfied no one was she stepped back onto the boardwalk cramming the cash into her dirty and faded jean shorts pocket.

She spotted a surf shop out of the corner of her eye and made her way over to it. Walking through the beaded curtain that hung there as a door she looked around. Typical shop. The hottest, newest 80's fashions hung all over the shop and the mannequin that littered the store. Behind the counter was some teen girl with overly teased hair who wore too many bright colors and an oversized shirt that slipped off one shoulder. She sat there popping her gum rather loudly reading the latest teen magazine. There were your typical surfer dudes drooling over the new boards while in another corner of the shop were your typical bleach blond air headed valley girls drooling over them.

She shook her head as she grabbed some clothes off some of the racks and made her way over to the counter where the girl with the mile high hair sat now attempting to tune a tinny sounding radio.

"Hey is there somewhere I can try this stuff on?" The girl looked up and rolled her eyes.

"It's like over there." She said pointing before going back to playing with the radio.

"It's like over there." the girl mimicked as she walked toward the back of the shop where the girl at the register pointed. She walked into one of the little cubicles and pulled the curtain closed behind her. Tossing the clothes on the makeshift bench next to her she began to peel her top off over her head. She then slipped off the shorts she wore taking the money from them before tossing them to join the rest of the clothes in the corner. She picked up the brand new denim shorts, turning them in her hands she looked for the price tag. She wrapped it around her fingers and popped off the tag.

"Oops looky the tag conveniently popped off." She said before slipping them on and shoving the money in the pocket. Next she took off her bra and slipped on the red and black bikini top. Over that she put on a grey hooded long sleeve jacket that had Santa Carla written across the back. She removed the tags from that too. Gathering the close she had taken off she walked from the dressing room walking right past the girl at the counter who thankfully was now distracted by a surfer guy. She headed out the door and down to the beach in her new threads.

Once on the beach she headed to the shower stalls that lined this particular section. She reached out pulling a towel off the corner of one of the stalls as she passed. When she found an empty stall she turned it on and dumped the clothes she had worn into it. She gave them a quick rinse and brought them to the shore. The sun was still high in the sky as she laid the towel she pilfered out. She dropped her clothes on one end to dry and she took the hooded shirt off and lay next to the clothes.

Yes I know. I'm too good at being sneaky. What can I say living on the streets you learn to survive or your screwed. Not in the good way either. So, anyhow. There I was soaking up the sun. Little did I know that this would be one of the last few days I would actually see the sun again. I was on a one way collision course with fate. I know you're probably sitting there like "What the frack girl?!" Just watch you'll see.

After a few hours the girl got up and took her now dry clothes and tied them up in the zip top jacket. The sun had set now and it was getting cooler. Walking back onto the boardwalk the girl decided to just hang out. She hit up a hotdog stand there and ordered a hotdog and soda. She walked along while she ate. As she passed a stand she reached behind the counter and snatched a plastic bag. She tossed her garbage in the nearest trash bin before untying the jacket and dumping the contents into the bag. She tossed the jacket on and kept moving. She spotted a carousel not too far so she decided to go and people watch.

She stood there watching the carousel make its way round and round then she noticed something. A group of guys were walking around the carousel. She normally wouldn't have paid them any mind but there was something different about them. They walked with an air about them. They sauntered between the horses She took note of them one by one. Their was a tall platinum blond with a mullet dressed head to toe in black. Behind him came a tall native looking guy with long dark hair in a leather jacket and nothing else underneath. The one that followed him another tall guy with dirty blond hair he screamed rocker to her the hair the clothes everything. Finally behind him was a shorter blond with curly hair a boyish face and an impish grin. He had on a bright color jacket that you could spot a mile off.

The carousel turned and they disappeared from her line of view. When they had come back around she had noticed the platinum blond trying to flirt with this blond who was sitting next to a rather muscly buff guy. She knew they were out of earshot of her but she couldn't help from putting her two cents in. "Seriously, dude you must have a death wish." The platinum blond was shoved back by the guy with the woman. His friends jumped to his defense. As did the huge mans. Again she lot sight of them as the carousel turned.

She ran around to the other side wanting to know what was going on. By the time she got there, there was a rent a cop on the ride with a nightstick around the platinum haired ones throat. She couldn't hear what was going on but one by one the boys jumped down off the ride before the platinum blond was released and calmly walked away before he too hopped off the ride. As they were walking away the girl walked past and accidentally bumped up against the dark-haired one. He gave her a quick glance and she gave him another once over before walking off.

Off in a quiet corner of a secluded part of the boardwalk stood a small booth. Outside stood a sign. Painted in big block letters and bright colors. Fortunes told $5. As the girl walked past she took a quick glance at the sign. "Oh what the hell. Why not. She'll probably just tell me a bunch of general hokum and nonsense but I'm bored."

She stepped into the tiny booth and looked around as her surroundings. It was all dimly lit with candles flickering. She could smell incense wafting through the air in thick clouds. In the center of the small room was a table covered in a celestial designed table-cloth with two chairs and smack dab in the middle of the table was a crystal ball. She walked over and took a seat.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" She called out. From a side room a small elderly woman walked out from a beaded curtain separating the room. She walked over to the empty seat and sat down. The girl was a little taken back when she looked at the woman. She sat there and stared at the girl. Her eyes drifting over her. "Don't be afraid deary I won't hurt you."

"Your.. your..."

"Eye? Yes it does unnerve some. The visions come clearer since this happened the gypsy woman said pointing to her left eye that was clouded over. She was blind in that eye. "Now let's get down to why you're here deary." She handed her a small bundle of herbs.

"Whats this for? The girl asked.

"Sage, burn it and use this feather to blow the smoke around and smudge the room." The girl gave a shrug and did what she was told.

Yeah I know I'm not all that big a believer in psychic, ghost, ghouls and things that go bump in the night but I figured just roll with it. What harm could come of it. Well . . . let's find out if I'm right or not.

Once the room was good and smelling of burnt sage mixing with the smell of sandalwood incense the old woman asked for the girl's hand. She gave it to her and the woman traced a finger over it. "You have a very long life line. In fact it is an unusually long one. I have never seen one like this. I also see love in your future. Let's see now. Stare into the crystal ball and relax."

The girl did so. She just saw the wisps of the smoke from the incense twirl round the ball. "Yes, yes I see. I see a tall, dark, handsome man he is beautiful but deadly. Not what he appears. It will be a child that brings you together."

"That I so general that could be anyone."

"You met him. Tonight by the carousel." The young girls face dropped.

"What?" there is no way you could have known that."

"Ah but I do child, but beware. There is also danger ahead. Red will run when he is near. Be cautious, there are things in this town that are not what they seem. Remember one more thing child. The last sometimes does not stay in the past. Now it is time you go my child."

The woman stood and walked back behind the curtain. As she did a gust of wind blew through the room blowing the candles in the room out. The girl felt a shiver run down her spine as she left the money on the table and all but ran out of the little booth.

She ran out onto the boardwalk again and barreled down this girl who was walking with a young boy. She stuck out a hand and helped her up. "Sorry bout that." The girl she picked up was dressed in gypsy fashion and had poofy dark hair. She didn't say anything in reply she just looked at the girl who knocked her over. The girl who ran out of the booth walked over to the boy. "You okay kid?" He just nodded his head as she tousled his hair. His eyes lit up and he gave her a small smile. "Good to know. Sorry bout knocking your sister down." She said before walking off into the night to try to find a place to sleep.

[prismatic-aconite]

Pizza And a Movie 

Kicking the door open is Lupita, who is covered in goopy bits that suggest she'd been crawling about in a dumpster. Because of course she has been.  She stops just inside the door to scrape her feet on the door mat; oddly, hasn't been wearing her boots lately. But at least she wipes her feet before walking into the house, and  then the kitchen broadcasting Big Dick Attitude (as it were) and all kinds of confidence. She bellows, "Aeeeethra, I'm hooo-oooome! Where's my pizzas yo?"

Aethra siiiighs. "I was waiting to order them til I knew what you wanted... But I can guess. 'Meat meat and more meat' right? Also. You smell. You should go change clothes and wash up. Not... Like specific a bath just wipe the grime off and make yourself smell less." She's making that faaaace. The 'I am concerned for you' face.

Lupita rolls her eyes. "It's always bath bath bath." She says, shaking her head, before she nods. "All the meats ever. And like maybe one or two 'everything'." She says, pausing to stop in front of the fridge. She pulls it open, pulls out a two-liter of faygo, pops it open and just stands there chugging it. Seriously, like, until it's gone all in one go. She pauses, thumps her chest with a fist, and then lets out a belch.  Then she sets the bottle on the counter, and looks at herself, shrugging. "I guess I'll go change." She turns to head for her room, "Back in a sec, sis," She purrls, as she walks off, scratching at her horns.

"It's either bath or no cuddles cus you smell, yes!" Ae calls after her, and sighs. She busies herself with ordering the pizzas that Lu wants. And a couple with anchovies for herself. If Lu wanted to swipe some fish pizza she'd let that sooner than have her eat all the hakarl.

Well okay it takes roughly 20 minutes, but Lupita does soon walk out, in a pair of boxers probably stolen from Corbin, a baggy t-shirt, and trying to shake water from her hair with her hands, a slight swagger to her steps.  Either way, she wanders into the kitchen looking for Aethra, pausing to lean against the counter, and pick at some grapes left in a bowl.  "Aeeeeee, I need cuddles now pleeeease," she whines after a moment.

Ae blinks when Lu comes out shaking her hair out, and smiles. "Wow I'm impressed. Did you finally conquer your fear of water?" She asks, and steps over to wrap the wet Lu up in a hug. "I was actually gonna tell you about a cool setup I've been working on for one of the guest baths. If you wanna go see it. I got the bath area to make a shower that behaves like rain. And the stall itself isn't really closed in either and there's a bench. So you can stretch out and it's like washing in the rain. Of course there's a spray hose too for rinsing off the soap if you need... But I think you might like it better than sitting in water?"

Lupita perks, and grins. "Aw yiss that sounds lots better. And I did but only because you asked and I really really need the cuddles man." She leans into the hugging and lets out a sigh, contented and stuff, from the contact. She scratches again at her horns though. "Man, ever since the sopor fix my horn it's been itchy all the fuckin' time yo," she says, grumbling a little. "You think its just co's of the new keritan or something?" She asks, looking slightly aside to Ae.

"Probably. Want me to take a look at it anyhow?" Ae asks. "I mean. I just want you healthy and smelling nice when you cuddle me. I tried bath bombs and those don't seem to work, so I figure, just need a better way to get you clean that doesn't involve dunking in the stuff you're scared of. ...Hopefully this'll be a good option all around." She just... holds Lu a while. "You wanna go cuddle pile on the couch?"

"Yeah, can you look at it? And a cuddlepile on the couch would be totes awesome yo. And when the pizza gets here like we can still cuddle and eat, right? C'os like dude I just really up and need all the attentions ever yo." She says. But. She doesn't let go to move to the couch. Nope. Just clings.  She also purrs slightly. "And water isn't too bad if I just. Close my eyes, hold my breath, and just get it over with as soon as popcicle. but I think a rain shower is a great idea yo. Especially if I can just all up and sprawl n' shit."

"Yeah. There's sprawly room. I basically made the entire floor of that room a drain and waterproofed everything. Took a while but I think it'll be good. I'm thinking of installing some grow lights in the ceiling bulbs and getting some wall climbing plants maybe." She grins suddenly and scoops Lu up, to carry her to the couch.

"Ah geeeze do you gotta do that yo you're like a fuckin' giant man. Ain'ts my fault I'm all up and short." Lupita whines, but she mostly goes saggylimp when scooped, and then leans her head in and snuffles at Ae's shoulders. Sniffsniff. "Man you smell good. You been all up and working in the sewing room with the clean cloths ain't you."

Ae chuckles and nods. She soon settles Lu on the couch in the blankets and hmms. "I do because you are fun to scoop and cuddle. ...Is it just the one spot on your horn that's been itching or anywhere else? Lemme get a good look." She settles down on the side for optimal good viewing.

Lupita wruus softly. "Yeah, just the one horn," she says, scratching again idley before canting her head to let Aethra get a good look; the whole horn from a third up is shiny, new, unscarred and untanted;  just simply regrown. Smooth keritin, candy corn colors not yet tempered by sunlight or roughhousing just yet. "Shoulder was itchy for a couple of days, too, but, not anymore." She shrugs. Then grins. "Still say you shoulda seen the other guy. Best damn fight ever yo."

"Hm. Just looks regrown and pretty to me. Should be fine. Horns regrow if you treat em right and don't fuss with too much." She just wraps Lu up in her arms and kisses her hair. "Heh. Maybe youre due a pupation toooo. Who knows you might end up my siiiize," she teases.

Another happy noise, and Lupita can't help herself. She wriggles around so she can kiss Ae on the cheek and forehead and nose with a squinty eyed sort of grin on her features that's only made goofier by her oversized fangs. Then she siighs and just sinks in against Ae. "Pfft. I don't think imma pupate. I'm already too soon after my first molt man." Sure it's been several sweeps. She doesn't count good, though. She pauses though and looks up, suddenly staring intently. That's about when the doorbell is used. "Hey, hey someone's at the door, yo." She says, loudly.

"Been a couple sweeps dude. Yours wasn't all that long after mine. And I didnt grow much then." But then the doorbell interrupts. "Ohhh that's probably the pizza. Lemme get that." She hops up out of the blanket pile and beelines for the door, pays the man, takes the giiiant pile of pizzas, and walks it back to the couch pile. "Do me a favor Lu, and set up a couple of the tv trays? We can watch a movie while we nom."

"Okay but. There was someone at the door." Lupita repeats, as she attempts to look around toward the door again where the pizza guy was, doing this as she blindly grabs the TV trays to set up in front of the couch, and somehow winding her way back to the front door to peer out every window to the side of it that she can she can before bringing the trays to their spots and setting them up. She stands there then, shifting from foot to foot, staring at the door. "... I should go make sure he's not still there." She says, before she slinks back and peers out the door again. "Nope he's gone. Good."

"Look at you being a good home protector. Yeah usually they have bunches more people wanting pizza so they gotta leave real fast. Like the mailman." Ae sets her couple of pizzas, one with anchovies, and one with all veggies and mushrooms. "I got one for Corbin too. You wanna bring it to him? ...Without eating it all?" She grins and holds up an pizza... Stuffed crust loaded Philly with white sauce.

Lupita smirks, and says, "Are you trying to get rid of me or something?" Teasingly, as she picks up the pizza and considers, sniffing at it. "Maybe after I've had one or two of mine," She says, in thought, "Don't want to be tempted to eat his, and I'm /starving/," She says, as she pauses, considers, then moves over to turn the oven on low heat, and slides open the bottom compartment, slipping the Pizza into it. "I read that these drawers down here are meant for like, keeping things warm without cooking them directly, so like, earlier today I cleaned it out n' stuff to put things in." She says, proudly.

"Nah. Just wanted to do a nice thing for him. All good. I'd rather you stay and cuddle a while. Especially since I got you the giant pile of pizzas to watch movies.  ...Also that's really good thinking. ...You ever wanna learn some cool kitchen stuff I can teach you things. I got a dehydrater to make our own jerky. Youre welcome to use it on things you hunt if you don't drag bloody carcasses across my house. Tarps if needed and clean up after yourself."

"... But dragging bloody things around is half the fun!" Lupita playfully whines, before grabbing another 2-liter out of the fridge and walking back over to the couch, bouncing herself onto it with a grin as she pulls open the pizza box, grabs two slices, and turns them topping to topping to make a 'pizza sandwich', as she leans back and waits for Aethra. "You got any ideas for a good movie then? C'os like, I'm up for almost anythin' that ain't like, The Little Mermaid. I mean shit. I heard that guy with the hard to say italian name made an X-Rated version of that, maybe that wouldn't be too bad? But if I have to listen to 'Under Da Sea' one more time.."

"I was thinking that one with the witches and thr candle? The blond reminds me of you a little. At least the 'amok amok amok' part." Ae picks a piece of her pizza out of the box, but then takes a piece of anchovy off and dangles it in the air. "Wanna try a better smelly fish?"

A snort, and then a snicker. "Well she's got good taste, doesn't she? I mean, children are more tender and juicy, by theory, because they haven't had no chance to get all up and muscley." She perks though. And sits up straighter and nodnodnods, watching the dangled anchovy, stuffing her 'Za sandwich into her face all at once, chewing hastily, and then gulping it down, before opens her mouth to the offered fish. "It smells terrible, I love it!" She gasps eagerly.

Ae giggles and drops the fish into Lu's mouth, and then slides a piece of the pizza over into Lu's pizza box. "Figured you'd say that. They're fatty and salty and good." Ae nods and hmmms. "It's true. It's why lamb and veal and all are so popular. Not tough yet." She shrugs and gets up to set up the movie. Once it's started though she settles.back down and leans on Lu. "Everything's okay with you lately, right? Anything you need to talk out?"

Lupita chomps, fangs clicking as she does so, and then closes her eyes, moving the anchovy about in her mouth a bit as she chews, somewhat like savoring a candy you've just tried for the first time. She gulps down then, and snatches up the piece of pizza, and works on scarfing it. She looks up, mouth full, when Ae asks about being okay, and nods. Swallows. She is a messy eater, and it's likely Ae has given up on this by now, AB certainly gave up long ago. She wipes her mouth on the back of her arm. "Nothing really bad. Just, horny itchey, and being hungry like fuckin' hell, yo. Oh, but, I've also been getting a lot more exercise, been chasing the rabbits out your garden all week. Fun as shit to chase a rabbit man." She grins.

"...Horny itchey? I mean. Phrasing but maybe you can ask Corbin to help with that," Ae teases, and plays with Lu's hair idly. "I do see you running around a lot more. ...If you run around in the sprinkler please put on some swim clothes, or stick with the fenced in part of the back yard? Nudity is still... touchy with the neighbors. And no you can't just go bite em or mess up their lawn if they say anything. I don't mind so much but... you know?" Ae sighs. She haaaated dealing with society nonsense. But that was the problem with living in a city.

"Uuugh, wet clothes suck though!" Lupita says with a siiigh as she drapes herself overdramatically over Ae's lap while her hair is played with. She snorts, and shoves the remains of the Anchovy piece into her mouth, chewing, before she gulps. "And I don't mean like thaaaat although I guess I could see if it helps me get some of this energy out. Dunno, I just really like running all over the place." She grins.  Shrugs. Then grabs another pice of meat  pizza and begins to lazily drape it into her mouth like it was grapes, while watching the movie. She snorts. "Not enough wolves man." She teases, but sniggers, especially at the 'Yabbos' scene.

"We can watch one with wolves after. Ever see Balto?" Ae asks, and hmms. "I mean it might. This time of year is good for that. Lotta folks all... energetic or getting lazy in prep for sleepy winter season. Really depends." Ae streeeetches and wraps her arms around Lu and hmms. "Wet clothes suck but a swimsuit is made to be wet. You just peel out of it when you get back to your room and roll into a blanket Lu-rito, and be warm."

"Ehhh maybe I guess. Stupid neighbors and their whole hangups about bodies. It's like they don't come into the world naked as a blue singign flap-beast, and don't realize clothes ain't gonna go witchoo when you die." She shakes her head. And then gnaws off more pizza, before slurping at her fingers. Mmmgrease. She looks up at Ae and grins again. "Aww, can't we watch like, uh.. The human version of Troll Jack Nicholson's Packbeast? Or like... Oo, that really old one about the Packbeast in London. It's October for glubsakes, and humans do all their Dim Season stuff now."

"The Packbeast in London one is okay I guess. I mean. If you want." Ae shrugs and sit back, pulling the blankets around her. "Personally I just have a hard time staying warm this time of year and wanna stay in and make lots of food and drink hot tea and sleep."

"Dim season," Lupita agrees, before she  hms. "I dunno. I'm not that cold this time. I think I've acclimated or whatever the fuck the word is, you know?" She grins. "I just been running hot lately is all. Almost like a Mud- .. Er, brownblood." She says, chuckling a little. She pauses, grabs another slixe of pizza, and stuffs it all into her mouth. Chews thoughtfully, swallows. "Could also be the fact I usually run around with a pile of pelts on, and spend a lot of time sunning myself out there." She shrugs. And hms. "Hey, you know, I had a thought. Doesn't G have that like, Rainbow Drinker friend? Do you think she'd want any pelts or things to sun on that soak in the heat as well?"

"You know I have no idea? I'll ask her. She might. Heck G might like some. He likes fluffy things and all. I'll ask. Especially since they're all stuff you hunted up and cleaned yourself, so, that's good." Ae frowns softly and looks ceilingward. "Sounds unusual in general though Lu. Would you mind if we got you an appointment with a mediculler, just to make sure you're okay? I promise I'll sit with you for it and make sure everything is all right?"

"Ehhh, okay I suppose. A mediculler would be fine." Shrug. Lupita hmms! And nods. "I wouldn't mind hunting down some stuff for G. I like seeing him happy c'os it makes you happy. Plus when he's happy it's good, right?" She grins. "Pack solidarity!" She says happily, as she grabs another slice of pizza, pauses, sits up, and again pizza sandwiches. She begins to wolf down the slices, licking at her fingers again. "Mmmf. They need to add more meats to the meat lovers. There could be like chicken, and duck, and goat, and rabbit, and goose, and squirrel- Oo, squirrel, yessssss. Hey if I catch some squirrels can you fry them up?" she grins eagerly, looking at Aethra. "And like I could give the cat the tails to play with n' shit."

"I could make you a mixed meat stew if you wanted all those in it. But you'd have to catch most of those yourself cus not a lot of places sell em. ...And yes if you catch enough squirrels I will... Prooobably roast or stew em for you rather than fry. At least bake." Ae chuckles and leans into Lu and nuzzles against her neck. "You are warm. It's both nice and a little concerning. You're positively near midblood temp. ...You sure you're feeling okay?"

"Other than being hungry as fuck, I'm generally good." Lu grins, and wraps an arm about Ae as she leans in, turning to nuzzle, and then kiss at her fishster's forehead lightly. "I'm feeling like a million boonies! I feel like I could run laps around the house for hours and not get tired. But I'm also feelin' like I could eat a few more pizzas, watch another movie or two with you, and then just sleep with you till moonrise while the world outside goes to fuck." She smirks, and then hms. "But you're right, I probably should go take Corbin his pizza soon, huh.."

"I mean if you wanna. I am all up for sleepy cuddles. But if you got that much energy to get out I'm sure he won't mind getting pounced." Ae chuckles and nuzzles against Lu's neck. "But if you wanna curl up with me and sleep too, I'm good for that. Think I'm gonna put most of my pizza in the fridge."

"I'll try and leave it for you." Lupita says, before peering. She's finished the first pizza. She shrugs, exchanges the box for the next one, and grabs two more pieces. As she works on them like a sandwich she adds,mouth slightly full, "I like cuddlin' with you an' bein' all asleep and stuff, Ae. But I know you an' G are a lot more cuddly an' I don't wanna get in the way of that. Besides. I get this weird feelin' like he probably gonna need hugs n' shit from you." She shrugs, thoughtful. Then closes up the pizza box, and works on finishing her pizza sandwich at hand: "How about I go take Corbin his pizza, and then like, go out for a while, an' get some shit done, and then I'll join you in bed when I'm done?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. If I'm already paased out feel free to hop in anyhow, or curl up on the pile or whatever if you wanna. Cus I still wanna cuddle if you got the time and inclination." Ae stretches idly and hmms. "Probably nap here a while. I'm just getting that food nap feeling."

"Weirdo." Lupita teases, then leans in to kiss Ae on the forehead again. She mmms, and streeetches big and stuff, then licks the grease from her hands, and stands. She hms! Pauses, holds up a hand gesture of 'just a sec' and dashes off. She comes back from her room carrying a sheepskin blanket, which she then throws over Aethra carefully, as if tucking her in. "Better?" She asks, smiling, "Keep you warm while you nap n' stuff." She smiles, and crouches on the ground a little, to be at petting height.

[cinnamonroll-duffy]

End of Winter (HFH Wyatt x RCD Seth)--Part 1 #ChoicesCreates65

Summary: Scarlett (HFH MC) ends things with Wyatt, and he’s forced to consider his whole life... meanwhile, a comedian from the other side of the country lands in Winter Haven. 

Thanks to @choiceslife for always supporting me, and being my fandom twin. 

Warnings: Suicide Discussion and vulgar language.

This is my submission to #ChoicesCreates65 (Non-Canon Couples)

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It had to happen one day. Winter Haven faced the slog of January, the worst month for tourism. Instead of wreaths and decorations, there were ice storms, with mud being congealed in everyone’s respective driveway. Even casual strolls to the park became impossible, as walking in the slippery ground became a hazard.  Wyatt Hart took one last look at his home’s Christmas tree. Where ribbons and sheen orbs once garnished was an emptiness. With a sigh, Wyatt began the process of dragging the tree out into the backyard to dispose later. This happened every year as the Hart family didn’t like using plastic trees, but Wyatt still hated having to do it.

“Hey Wyatt, just had to catch you before my flight.” Scarlett Joy walked over to where her boyfriend was mourning the wrap-up of the holiday season.  He looked up and wave at her before he rested the tree down by a bush. Making sure he didn’t slip, he tip-toed over to where Scarlett stood and gave her a huge hug.

“What flight?” The look on Scarlett’s face suggested that Wyatt should have known what was up. “Am I missing something?”

“The City, duh. I still have to feed myself, and that means I still must work. “ With all the fervor of Christmas, Wyatt forgot that Scarlett still had Piquant Press for which she had to work long hours. At least she was living out the dream, right?  

“Oh, right. For some reason, I thought you were staying in town to help Holly with her book.” Failing to mention that he wished his girlfriend changed her mind about not moving back to Winter Haven, Wyatt didn’t want to hold Scarlett back from her career. He was the kind of guy who put aside his own needs for others.

“Do you live in 2018? Holly and I can always Skype. It’s no big deal. Besides, I’m moving in with Nick at his Manhattan penthouse.” The mention of the fearsome Mr. Peralta shook Wyatt to his core. Nick had everything of which Wyatt could be jealous, with the access to a private jet, lavish getaways to Mykonos and Bali, and Cartier watches.

“Hold up, why am I finding out about this now?” A billion worries dashed through Wyatt’s mind that threatened to cloud his thinking. The loss of focus led to Wyatt slipping on to the ground. Scarlett had to pull him up and ensure he gained his footing back.

“Did you break any bones?” Scarlett asked. She knew Nick would be a sore point, and braced herself for whatever might happen.

“No, thank goodness, but you have to answer me, what does this whole ‘sharing Nick’s penthouse’ business mean?” He hoped that Scarlett wasn’t cheating on him, but was that realistic? Nick was a definite Alpha Male living it up in the biggest, mightiest city in America, and Wyatt was some insignificant guy from the boonies.

Still sore from the fall, Wyatt rested his leg on the porch bench as Scarlett sat on the bench opposite from him.

“I didn’t want to tell you in the middle of the festivities, because it would ruin your holiday, and I don’t want that. Besides, I knew you were gonna go against me, so I waited until right now to tell you.” As honest and genuine Scarlett’s explanation was, it still rang hollow with Wyatt, who saw himself abandoned.

“So, is Nick your boyfriend now?” Even with the question, Wyatt knew the inevitable was on the horizon. Ever since Scarlett took a job at Piquant, she stopped calling everyday and gave one-word texts. He looked out into the the neighbourhood. All the lawn decorations were gone as well as the lights. In a way, the light in his eyes began to wane.

“No, you are. Don’t be silly.” She flashed a smile and squeezed his leg. “However, there will be some changes in the next few months and I need to know that you’d be OK with it.” Seeing the devastation in Wyatt’s eyes, Scarlett turned away. This was not the time for guilt.

“Are you saying you want an open relationship? I won’t accept, if that’s the case. Because, I’ve always been loyal to you. Even when I gave up my own piloting dream for you, so that you and I would be together, I never regretted it.” For the first time, Wyatt was standing up for himself, and that made Scarlett uncomfortable.

“Giving up flying planes was your call, not mine. Do not hang that on me.” She got up and took her bag. “Speaking of planes, I have to get to the airport and check in. You don’t want an open relationship? Then, I’ll have an exclusive one with Nick. Besides, he can satisfy me in bed as well as with his wallet. When was the last time you made me moan with pleasure? When was the last time you bought me something to eat that wasn’t fast food? Anyhow, we good now?” Wyatt had nothing else to say to her, having dropped his head down and nodded. Scarlett made her way through the ice and went her merry way.

The Uber driver struggled to park his car, the ice storm having made the roads slick, but he found a way to get his passenger near the drop-off point. The passenger looked around at his hotel’s surroundings and saw a barren winter wilderness, not a wonderland. Even with that, Seth Levine was excited to spend time away from the Hollywood fakery to do his first stand-up gig at a local club in the area. Even if Seth’s blood seemed like it was turning to stone by the weather, he saw the possibilities that now opened up to him. A huge distraction was just around the corner, though, as he saw a blond young man standing on the ledge of the clock tower. Knowing he had no margin of error to dawdle, Seth made his way across the slick ice to go talk the man from leaping.

“Hey, buddy. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Seth saw the blond, who happened to be Wyatt, staring down on the expanse below. He reached out his hand for Wyatt to grab, but nothing from Wyatt. “Look, can we talk? I know you don’t know me, but you’re kind of freaking me out right now. Let’s go somewhere safe.��

“You don’t know a damn thing about me, so just let me die.” Wyatt kept his eyes fixated on the ground. Every other part of him wanted to fly off, but it seemed like the feet didn’t cooperate at all.

“If you really wanted to end things, you already would have. Whatever’s bothering you can’t be that bad, dude. Take my hand.” Being hundreds of feet high, the wind was harsh on Seth’s face. Even he was questioning why he’d go all this way to show kindness to a stranger, but he knew that doing nothing would be a hundred times worse on his conscience.

“Look, you’re not from here. I would have known what your voice would’ve sounded like.” Wyatt broke the eye contact from the ground and turned to Seth, confirming his suspicions. “I see you and your designer jeans. I could tell you have a lot more to live for.”

“Quit stalling and come to where I’m standing. You aren’t Humpty Dumpty. This will not be a great fall, trust me.” Seth’s quip led to a chuckle from Wyatt, but it didn’t crack the wall of hopelessness.

“I’m sure my ex-girlfriend would be happy to see me go. I was never enough for her.” Wyatt turned back toward the ledge, which allowed Seth to sneak up behind him. There was a sense of longing for the good old days. “How could I have gotten things so wrong?”

“Look, I’m not a therapist, and I don’t pretend to be. We can deal with all that later. Don’t leap away over some chick. Been there, done that.” That was when Seth took a chance and pulled Wyatt back down from the ledge, to the loud screams of Wyatt.

“Why did Scarlett leave me? I loved her so much, since we were little kids. Who the hell is this Nick guy anyway? I don’t get it, I don’t get it. I DON’T GET IT.” He buried his head in Seth’s shoulders and shivered.

“You know what you need to do? Get home, get warm, and take a nap.” Seth dug into his waistcoat and flashed Wyatt a ticket to his show. “I’ll be doing a routine at the bar right on 8th Street. Hope to see...nope, I know I’ll see you there. After my show, we’ll chat, OK?” He placed the ticket in Wyatt’s hand, before shutting that hand.

“Why are you so nice to me? I’m nothing but a boring small town guy.”  Wyatt saw Seth nod his head.

“Perhaps, it’s time for your luck to change.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

[randomlittleimp]

Convergence pt2

Fandom: Star Trek

Ship: McKirk

Rating: Mature

Warnings: childhood trauma, deadly accidents, bullying, homophobia, genocide, starvation, homosexuality, divorce

Tagging: @auduna-druitt @pinkamour1588 @captainsbabysitter-blog @thefanficfaerie

Description: AU where Leonard meets Jim as children and their lives converge at different years as they grow up.

Part 1

It was years before the two saw each other again. After the accident Leonard couldn’t stand to be near the starships so they went back to Georgia. It wasn’t until he was in middle school that they asked his father to return for another consulting job. They set them up in the same rental house as before, and he was in the same room. Even years later the room looked the same with the floral wallpaper. The window seat seemed a lot smaller then it had when he was little, but the view was still nice.

When he got to school and once again knew no one, this time he wasn’t as worried about it. He had already found that he was smarter than most of his classmates in Georgia and that a good portion of them resented him for that fact. He didn’t see Iowa as being any different. He wasn’t going to worry about making friends. He just wanted to get through this trip without too much incident.  So when he was confronted with a pair of the most startling blue eyes in the world as he ate his lunch the feelings that they brought up were unexpected.

The memories flooded his mind, “Jimmy?”

The blue eyes widened a bit, then squinted in thought. “Bones?”  Leonard handed over his apple as an answer and Jimmy’s smile was almost as brilliant as his eyes. “Dude, it’s great to see you. How long are you back for?”

“A couple of years probably. They have my dad consulting on the new batch of flying death machines.” Leonard grumbled before going back to his sandwich.

Jimmy flopped down next to him on the bench, “You used to like those flying death machines.”

“That was before I learned how many ways they can kill you. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds.”  He was about to go on but a laugh from Jimmy stopped him.

“Man, I have missed you! And not just because of the apples.” Jimmy took a big bite out of the apple in his hand. “I hope you’re wrong though, about the death machines, because I’m gonna be on one this summer.”

Leonard stopped eating to look at Jimmy in shock, “What? Your going out there, into space?”

“Yup, this summer I’m gonna go visit my uncle and his family on some new colony planet, Tarsus four. It’s gonna be awesome!” Jimmy was so happy, Leonard couldn’t bring himself to dampen his enthusiasm with more statistics.

The year went by fairly quickly, the two boys becoming nearly inseparable. Leonard was happy to have a friend, it made the time in Iowa bearable.  He even began to bring an extra apple and sandwich with him in his lunch for Jimmy who still never brought enough food to school with him. Jimmy was still quite popular with the girls, although he was old enough now to have some understanding as to why. Jimmy was a charmer, and those bright blue eyes of his could make the most stoic of girls blush when he turned the full force of their gaze on them. It still made Leonard a little jealous when Jimmy would be surrounded by girls and barely notice Leonard was still there. He just figured it was still because he wanted his friend to himself. Jimmy was his only real friend here.

Jimmy’s mysterious bruises were still a problem as well, but he no longer bothered to come up with reasons for them. Jimmy would just shrug and change the subject, but Leonard did notice Jimmy didn't spend much time at home. When he mentioned it to his dad, his father looked concerned. He knew that Leonard cared for his friend deeply, and said he would look into it. Unfortunately there seemed to be a lot of people aware of the situation, but no one who wanted to do anything about it. (Leonard would not learn of this for many years, and when he did it would make him physically ill.)

The summer came to quickly for Leonard’s liking, and soon he was saying goodbye to his friend, waving as Jimmy boarded the shuttle that would take him to the transport ship to Tarsus IV.  It was only meant to be for about six months, but Leonard knew it was going to be the most boring six months of his life with no one left to hang out with, and not even school to occupy him for the first half of the time.

Leonard did send communications to Jimmy, but it took weeks to get a message there and weeks to get one back. The wait was agonizing. It was in the third month that Leonard got the message from Jimmy that they were having problems with the crops, and people were worried that there wouldn’t be enough to eat. Jimmy tried to keep an upbeat tone to it but Leonard was worried all the same. He told his dad about the letter, but the elder McCoy assured his son that the local governing body there would have a plan, and thing might be a little rough but it would ultimately be fine.

The next week news broke about the total crop failure, and about the governing bodies plan to conserve food by carrying out mass killings of the settlers. Only those chosen few in charge were safe from the kill squads. Men, women and children were being massacred in the town square. Leonard started hyperventilating as the news played out in front of him. His father tried to comfort him, but was in almost as much shock at this turn in events as Leonard was. What he could say was that Jimmy was resourceful, if anyone could find a way to survive this it was Jimmy, but his words had little conviction. How could anyone escape this kind of evil.

It was another month before Starfleet was able to retake the planet. Those in charge that didn’t flee were arrested, and the area was scoured for survivors. Leonard heard stories of small families that had hidden and survived the horrors that befell the other settlers, but they were few and none of the video feed sent back included a boy with bright blue eyes.  Leonard didn’t give up on that last sliver of hope he had that his friend would be found. Then one night the story broke of a group of small children found hiding in the woods and the boy who had helped them escape even when their families did not. The tale of how he would sneak out of the hiding place at night in search of food and water to keep them alive, all why dodging the patrol and searching soldiers. It was an incredible tale, but when this heroic young boys face was shown on screen Leonard cried with joy. Dirty and much to thin, Jimmy was barely recognizable, but those blue eyes couldn’t have belonged to anyone else.

When he was brought back to Iowa he was in the hospital for months recovering. His father had been doing volunteer work there in his free time from working his consulting job, and was able to keep an eye on Jimmy’s recovery, even if he wasn’t his primary doctor and he made sure to give Leonard updates about his friend everyday that he could. Eventually when they deemed Jimmy was stable enough for visitors Leonard’s dad brought him up to the hospital.

When Leonard entered the room Jimmy was all smiles, “Hey man! Did you miss me?” Leonard stifled the sob that nearly escaped and instead went for humor. He didn’t want to get all emotional on his friend.

“Were you gone? I hadn’t noticed.” he smirked as this got quite a laugh outta Jimmy.

They sat and talked for awhile about the good things they had experienced in their months apart, trying not to think of the rest. Soon the nurse came in with Jimmy’s lunch and told Leonard he could only stay a few more minutes, but he could come back the next day. The lunch tray was sparse, only a little broth, and crackers and jello. Jimmy didn’t look to thrilled by the options. “They say the lack of food up there left my immune systems all screwed up and I’ve got a long list of allergies now. I could have eaten more, but they were all so hungry. They seemed like they needed it more than me. I’ve been hungry before.” His voice got quieter as he kept speaking, the last bit barely a whisper.

It made Leonard’s chest ache, but he knew not to dwell on it, that was not what Jimmy needed. “Well, you’ll have to get me a copy of that list. I wouldn’t wanna pack anything you couldn’t eat in my lunch when you’re back in school.”

Jimmy gave him a small smile, “Sure man, you’ll be better at remembering that stuff than I will anyhow. It will be like having one of the medieval food tasters, keeping the king away from the poisoned food.”

“If you think for one minute I’m calling you Your Majesty or something you got another thing coming.” Leonard responded. “I’ll try to come back tomorrow if you want, maybe bring some cards so we can play rummy or something.”

“Yeah that’d be great, it’s so boring here. I hate hospitals.” Jimmy smiled and waved him off, and Leonard managed to get all the way to the elevator before breaking down in tears.

It was a while before Jimmy came back to school. Once he did he was fawned over by many of the other kids who either saw him as a hero or a survivor of a terrible disaster. Leonard tried his best to treat his friend no different than he had before, and it was exactly what Jimmy needed. They became even closer than before and Leonard truly hated the idea of going back to Georgia and leaving Jimmy behind. He wished he could take him back with him, but that just wasn’t an option. His only consolation was he could keep in touch with him this time, and his dad had said he would be called back to Iowa again in a few more years.

[timmyrx2000]

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 6

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 6

When Wendy and Dipper left the Shack, the sun had just set. The night insects had not yet tuned up, but bats twittered overhead and out in the forest the woodpeckers, who didn't give up until the light was almost gone, drummed away. "Where are we going?" Dipper asked as they stepped off the trail.

"Into the woods," Wendy said. "You bring a flashlight, dude?"

"Yeah, I have one of the prototypes Grunkle Ford made."

"Good deal. I got the one I use camping. We'll need light on the way back."

In the gathering twilight they hiked on, uphill and down, skirting thickets of huckleberry, boggy growths of cobra lily, and stands of trailplant, threading their way through second-growth fir and pine forests, passing expanses of tree stumps and seedlings. "Dad logs all through here," Wendy said in one clearing, the air sharp with the scent of freshly-cut wood. She switched on her own flashlight and said, "Not far now."

Finally, they reached the cleared crown of a domed hill. Stars spangled the sky overhead, lots more than Dipper had ever seen in Piedmont, where the light pollution from Oakland and San Francisco dimmed them. No moon yet—it was gibbous and waning and, because of the recent change to Daylight Saving Time, it wouldn't rise until nearly eleven.

Creatures howled in the distance. Like the panda duck that Dipper had tried to win for Wendy, the species were indeterminate. In Gravity Falls, they might be anything. Wendy stood beside a stump and took a deep breath. "OK, dude, I know you won't freak out, but this might be rough on you. Remember I'm here for you, though. Wanna hold my hand?"

"Anytime," Dipper said. Her hand was warm in his.

"OK, Gramps, I brought him!" Wendy yelled into the night.

Dipper looked at her, but she had turned off the flashlight and he saw only her silhouette against the stars. "Huh?"

"He said not to tell you till he got here. Gramps! It's me, Wendy!"

In front of them, a greenish fog coalesced. Floating a couple of feet above the ground, it pulsed and brightened and then shrank in on itself, transforming into a hulking, bearded human figure.

"Oh, my gosh!" Dipper said. "The ghost from the Northwest mansion!"

"Dipper," the apparition moaned in its deep, rumbling voice. "I have to talk to you. I mean you no harm!"

Dipper almost sagged with relief. "No problem, sir! Wendy, I'm not afraid of him. You look a lot better, Mr. uh, Lumberjack. Your beard's not on fire, and your missing eye seems to have healed up. And the, uh, axe in your head's gone."

"I'm not haunting anyone now," the ghost explained, self-consciously straightening the blow tie it wore on its . . . beard. "I have no wish to terrify. When you're a ghost, you can take many forms."

"Dude," Wendy said, squeezing Dipper's hand, "this is Archibald Corduroy. He's, like, my great-great grandfather!"

"I wondered about that!" Dipper said. "I saw his picture in your house—uh, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Corduroy."

"You treated me well," the ghost said. "I regret tricking you and then turning you into wood."

"That . . . was sort of scary," Dipper admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

The apparition shrugged modestly. "Well, I am a ghost."

"Yeah. Uh, excuse me, but I thought that after Pacifica let everybody in, you had gone on to, you know, your reward."

"I could not bear to leave this forest that I loved so much in life," the ghost said, gesturing with a sweep of his glowing arm that took in all the surroundings. "Also, once free of haunting the hated Northwest house, I wondered what had become of my family. I soon discovered I have a mighty descendant in Daniel, and a beautiful one in Wendy." The ghost floated next to Dipper and confided: "She likes you, boy!"

"Aw, Gramps!" Wendy said, laughing. "Cut it out, dude! Look, I brought Dipper, like you asked, so just tell him what you've got for him, OK?"

The ghost backed away from Dipper, towering over them both. "He's a brave, intelligent boy, Wendy. You could do a lot worse."

"I really like your great-great granddad," Dipper said to Wendy.

Wendy giggled. "You guys! C'mon, Gramps."

"Very well. Dipper, the root of your friend's trouble is another ghost from the past. An evil one. Well, I say 'evil,' I suppose I went a little overboard myself, but my anger branched out from the betrayal the Northwests committed against my friends and me—no, no, I'll cut that short. Forget it. I'm sorry for the bad things that came from my long hatred, leave it at that. But now an ill-intentioned spirit is trying to possess your fiend Taylor. If he succeeds, terrible things will happen. You have to stop him."

"How?" Dipper asked, his throat feeling tight.

"I'm a lumberjack, not an exorcist," the ghost said a little irritably. "You must discover the way to help. Speak to the boy's family. Seek out his mother. Tell her. She will sense the truth of what I've told you. And beware! The spirit that threatens your friend is implacable, his grip as strong as cypress roots!"

"Dude," Wendy said, "you have, like, a really good vocabulary for a nineteenth-century lumberjack!"

"Being an outdoorsman doesn't mean you have to be illiterate, girl." The ghost started to dim.

"Wait, wait!" Dipper said. "Uh, sir—who is the ghost? That would help!"

"You already know in your heart," the fading ghost said. "It is a spirit that wishes to reincarnate—for revenge!"

"Bill Cipher?"

For just a second the ghost became a little brighter and clearer. "Who? No! Think human!"

And Archibald Corduroy went out like a candle flame in a wind.

"Who did he mean?" Dipper asked in the sudden darkness.

"I'm stumped," Wendy confessed. "Man, Dipper, you took that whole thing a lot better'n I expected! First time Archibald appeared to me, I totally freaked!"

"When was that?"

"Fall, two years back, after you an' Mabes went back to California. Along in October. I was in the woods behind our house cuttin' down some deadwood for the fireplace, and there he was, floatin' right in front of me. I kinda attacked him with my axe, but that went nowhere fast. He eventually calmed me down and told me who he was and all, and said he was gonna watch over our family and protect us, and since then I never saw him again—until I started asking around about the Northwests. Few days ago, he appeared to me in a stall of the girls' bathroom at school. Now, that was awkward. Anyhow, he seemed to know you were gonna come to Gravity Falls and said I needed to get you an' him together so he could tell you something, and he said you might be scared, so not to let you know who I was takin' you to see. You weren't scared, though. Good for you, dude!"

Dipper shrugged. "Those first ghosts I ever saw, the ones in the Dusk 2 Dawn, scared the heck out of me. Mainly because of what they were doing to Mabel and your friends. But I've kinda learned that most ghosts don't want to hurt you. Who could be haunting Chuck Taylor, though?"

"Dunno, man," Wendy said. They'd both switched on their flashlights and were headed back through the woods.

They didn't talk much. But when the lights of the Mystery Shack gleamed through the trees ahead, Dipper stopped in his tracks and said, "Reincarnate. Oh, no!"

Wendy stopped too. "What's wrong, Dip?"

"No," Dipper said. "No, no, no. I hope I'm wrong."

"About what?" she asked.

He swallowed hard. "Nathaniel Northwest."

The rest of the week flew by without any substantial developments in the case. Grunkle Ford lent Dipper a few detection devices and taught him how to use them, and then Grunkle Stan drove the kids home the next Saturday.

They spent Sunday and Monday brushing up for the CAHSEE that the school would give on Tuesday and Wednesday, and to their relief, the tests didn't seem all that hard. "I hope you didn't get bored and start putting down random answers," Dipper told Mabel after the last exam ended.

"Nope!" Mabel said. "I learned my lesson after the test I took in fifth grade that said I should be busted to kindergarten."

Chuck had seemed OK, and that afternoon, their first practice since the early spring break, he recovered his playing form again, pitching hard, hitting hard, running full-out. The Thursday practice was good, too, and Dipper began to think that everything was all right again.

Saturday brought a big game with the Bay City Blues. Their win-loss record tied Piedmont's, and Coach said that the teams were a pretty close match in ability, too. The Blues had a good pitching staff, some good hitters, and typically racked up scores of five to ten points in a game. They weren't the most spectacular team, but like the Panthers they played a steady, relentless game.

Saturday morning, the game started out well. Bay City won the toss and chose to take the field. Their pitcher had game: he struck out both Mike and Petey with three pitches each, and Dipper began to think the Panthers were doomed to an early loss.

However, Chuck, looking healthy, belted out a solid double, and following him at bat, both JD and Barb managed singles, sending Chuck home for the first run of the game. Unfortunately, Jon J sent a sweet high fly ball deep into left field—and right into the fielder's glove.

Chuck's pitching began unsteadily. The first batter racked up one strike and three balls before hitting a single. The second man up got a double on the first pitch, putting the runner on third and ready to score. From the bench, Tripper watched Chuck wipe sweat from his face, kick at the mound, and then lean forward, looking determined.

Off on the sidelines, Mabel, in her cheerleader costume, acted subdued. The Panthers had a bigger crowd than ever—their away games had frankly pitiful attendance, just the kids' parents and maybe five or six students—but now the bleachers were nearly full of cheering kids and adults. Except Mabel's enthusiasm had ebbed. Dipper knew she was worrying about Chuck.

However, Chuck promptly struck out two Blues in a row. The next two batters both got on base, though, one single, one double. Then when Vance McCall stepped into the batter's box, Chuck took his time considering his first pitch. McCall was the Blues' best hitter by far.

And he proved it by pulling a low fly to far right field, where it hit and bounced, for a moment looking as if it would go straight to Petey DeFoy—but then it bounced again, taking a bad hop deeper into fair territory, making it hard to field.

McCall wound up standing on second base. The first two Blues scored, and there went Piedmont's lead. As though to apologize to the fans, Chuck struck the next guy out with three fast pitches.

Second inning began with X-Man getting a single, trying to push it into a double, and getting tagged out. However, then both Hi-Ho and Bobby made it to base—Hi-Ho successfully stealing second before Bobby's single put him on third. Dub struck out, and it was Dipper's turn.

He'd been working hard on his batting. He let a ball go by, choked up on his grip, and took a swing at the next pitch—and connected. It was a grounder, skipping just past the third baseman and running right along the foul line.

Miracle of miracles, it didn't cross the line, and Dipper made it to first! More, it took Hi-Ho home—Dipper's first RBI. For a moment, it looked like a Piedmont rally, but Big W's hard grounder was snagged by the Blues shortstop, who fired the ball home just in time for the catcher to tag Bobby out.

The Blues couldn't get anything going in the bottom half, and the second inning closed with a 2-2 tie.

The Panthers came to bat for the third inning. Coach sent Dipper and Krenk in as subs and asked Chuck how he was feeling. "I'm OK," he insisted, though Dipper thought he was sweating harder than usual. It was a dismal inning, three Panthers coming up to bat, two being put out, one getting on base, and then with Jimmy in scoring position on third base—Krenk went down swinging, one, two, three, to retire the side.

In the bottom, Chuck's pitching was noticeably slower and less accurate. Still, he held the Blues to just one run, though that put them ahead again, three to two.

Before the turnover, Coach walked out and asked Chuck, "You gonna be OK? I can pull you."

Dipper saw Chuck shake his head and heard him mutter, "I think laying off practice last week put me off my game. I'll stay in."

In the top of the fourth inning, Mike, first up, got a single, and Chuck matched it. Coach called for time out and said, "Pines, you're faster. Go in as a pinch runner for Monohan."

Though he felt a flutter of anxiety, Dipper did. He led off second, tense, ready to jump back if the Blues pitcher suddenly turned and threw to the second baseman. Like Chuck, the Blues pitcher seemed to have lost some steam, and JD blasted his first pitch into a hard liner into the gap and dug out on what looked to be a double—but the right fielder scooped it up and got it to first in time to hold him.

But Dipper, running full out, tagged third, saw the coach motion him, and, imagining the Gobblewonker nipping at his heels, blasted for home. He could hear Mabel, not leading a cheer, but just screaming "Go, Bro, go, go, GO!"

The catcher stepped up, mitt raised, and Dipper fell into a slide, raising dust. The ball smacked the mitt. Dipper's cleats touched home plate, the catcher tagged his calf, and the ump yelled, "Safe!"

The crowd went wild. Well, mostly Mabel went wild, but still. He had tied the game again, 3-all.

There the Panthers lost their luck. One man out on a pop fly, and then a double play ended their chance to pull ahead.

Chuck didn't look as if he felt well when he stood on the mound. But he bore down and struck out the first two Blues at bat—the second out was actually their first man in the rotation. Then he got two strikes past the third batter—and as he wound up for the third pitch, all at once he tottered and went down on one knee, the ball on the ground, his right hand going out to brace himself. He croaked, "Coach!"

Waylund, Dipper, and the other Panthers hustled out. "What's wrong, Chuck?" Coach asked.

"Real dizzy," Chuck gasped. "Better take me out."

The crowd applauded as Waylund helped Chuck to the dugout, and Dipper saw Mr. and Mrs. Taylor coming down from the bleachers, looking anxious. Waylund sent in Jon J as replacement pitcher, and he did his best, but Chuck's second near-faint had shaken up him and the other Panthers, and Jon J let another two Blues batters on base before the next one got a single, pulling the Blues ahead by one run. Then he pulled it together and struck the last man out.

Dipper hastily trotted in to ask Chuck how he was feeling. Chuck, huddled on the bench, shrugged miserably. "We'll take him back to the doctor," his dad said.

"Not until the game ends," Chuck said firmly. "Just a little dizzy."

It might have gone better if he'd gone then. The Panthers, keenly aware that Chuck was sick and was watching them, lost their concentration. They fought the game out, even managing another run in the top of the seventh, but it ended with a Blues win, 9-4.

Dipper had missed an easy catch and had fanned three pitches, striking out in the worst way possible. As soon as the game ended, the Taylors took Chuck away—he was walking under his own power, at least—and the team morosely apologized to the coach.

"Forget it, men," he said. "I'll stay in touch with the Taylors and get word out to you if it looks serious. Let's hope it isn't."

"We're all hoping," Mabel said. She had come into the dugout, and tears stood in her eyes.

In the back seat of the family car, as their mom and dad stood outside talking about the game—and probably Chuck's illness—Dipper said to Mabel, "I'm going over to the Taylors' this afternoon."

"I'm coming too," she said.

"If you want. Listen, do me a big favor. You get Chuck and his dad aside somehow. I have to talk to Mrs. Taylor."

"About what?"

Dipper's voice was grim: "About a family ghost."

To be continued

Note from the Authors: This was just an idea I had but the one who really worked his magic and wrote almost all of this is none other than BillEase. He’s an amazing author who usually hangs out at fanfiction.net. Don’t pass up on a chance to check out his stuff. This guy is AMAZING. He wrote the story, I just gave the plot.